by Nick Lester

Plans for children's social services in Plymouth have come in for severe criticism by the Government.

In a letter to the city council chief executive Health Minister John Hutton expressed "serious concern" about the difficulty the authority had in producing a "satisfactory" Quality Protects Management Action Plan this year.

Plymouth was one of only four authorities - out of 150 - that the Minister has written to. He said that although he had approved its action plan, there would need to be continued "rigorous" monitoring of its children's services.

He also raised the possibility that future funding could be under threat if things did not improve.

But city council leader Patrick Nicholson defended the authority's decisions, blaming central Government for a lack of financial support.

It has also emerged that the council submitted a previous plan, but this had been turned down as 'unacceptable'.

Mr Hutton has ordered the Social Services Inspectorate to "stringently" monitor the council's children's services.

It comes two months after the council's Tory administration agreed £2.3m of cuts in social services, which a confidential report warned at the time could place vulnerable children "at risk".

It also warned cutbacks would make it hard for the council to meet Government targets, and could threaten the council's ability to meet its legal responsibilities.

Many reductions involved diverting targeted Government grants away from projects they were intended for, to fund current levels of service.

Mr Hutton, in the letter, said action plans had to be approved before special grant money would be available.

He said: "I want to see demonstrable evidence that children in need benefit from this extra investment across the country. In particular, I have made it clear that the money must be well spent."

He said he would not approve schemes that did not demonstrate progress and plans for further improvement. He asked for clear targets to set in children's social services with eveidence to prove that improved services were being delivered.

He said: "I, like you, will expect to see significant improvement."

Shadow social services chairman Chris Pattison has asked the chief executive for copies of the correspondence from Mr Hutton.

He said: "The Labour Party will be looking at this very closely in connection with the cuts that have been announced."

But city council leader Patrick Nicholson said his hands had been tied by under-funding from the Government worth £10m, and said: "There has been a massive lack of support from the Government and that is why we find ourselves in a position where we have to make tough decisions."

Used courtesy of the Plymouth Evening Herald