Sheffield Council off track with adult health and social care savings but remains positive

Adult social care has consistently been the biggest pressure on council finances as local authorities have struggled amid funding cuts and rising demand.

Council officers recently published a new report updating the adult health and social care committee on Sheffield’s recovery plan for the service.

It is now about halfway through the current financial year and the council is forecasting that £16.4 million (87 per cent) of savings will be be delivered in-year out of the £18.9 million planned, according to the report.

This is a reduction from the 92 per cent forecast in a June update report.

Despite this, officers said they remain positive about the situation, saying it was an improvement on savings delivery over the past five years.

In the report, they said: “It makes a significant contribution to our ambition for a balanced and sustainable financial position for adult care and wellbeing.”

The financial position has improved largely because of additional grants becoming available to sustain key services after the budget was agreed for this year.

They said staffing costs were now the main pressure on the adult care and wellbeing budget but some of this will be mitigated by grant funding, subject to committee approval.

The adult health and social care committee is due to discuss the update in a Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, September 20.