Council spent £737k to plug staffing gaps

An MSP has slammed “shocking” new figures revealing the amount North Lanarkshire Council are spending on social care overtime and agency staff.

- ROSS THOMSON

Responses to Freedom of Information requests from the Scottish Conservatives show that almost £400 million has been spent by councils in the last five years to plug staffing gaps.

The true figure could be even higher as not all councils responded to the requests for information.

In North Lanarkshire a total £737,493 was spent on agency staff while North Lanarkshire incurred overtime costs of £24,899,476, the second highest in Scotland behind Glasgow.

Central Scotland list MSP Meghan Gallacher says that social care in North Lanarkshire is in crisis on the SNP's watch and staff are completely overwhelmed.

She says the SNP squandered £30 million on their doomed national care service plan, which would have been better spent on local care provision.

Ms Gallacher added: "These shocking figures show how the SNP has allowed social care services in North Lanarkshire to fall into crisis.

"Cash-strapped councils such as North Lanarkshire are already dealing with the consequences of brutal SNP cuts to their budget year after year.