Foster carers in Swindon are set to receive a rise in their weekly allowances to help attract more people to the job reports This is Wiltshire.

Their payments are set to rise from £78.75 to £118.13, almost £500 extra a year after a further £138,000 was allocated from the housing and social services budget.

Councillors agreed to the increase at a meeting of the housing, social services and health commission where the performance of children's services was discussed.

They heard how the service has been reshaped resulting in the number of cases in which children in need have not been allocated a social worker reducing from 198 to 10.

The changes have been implemented to address issues raised by inspections by the Social Services Inspectorate. Councillors also agreed to make enquiries into the closure of a three-bed residential unit at Bath Road because it was no longer financially viable.