Shock £523k rise in care costs adds to council’s mounting budget strain

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

A shock half-million pound increase in costs in just one month has been revealed as councillors prepare to decide on next year’s budget.

Elected members in Flintshire will debate the authority’s finances at both cabinet and full council meetings this week with a proposed Council Tax increase of 5.46% plus an increased funding demand from North Wales Police and local town and community council financing.

But at a Cabinet meeting just 24 hours beforehand, councillors discovered that between December 5 and January 6 the cost of out of county placements skyrocketed by £523,000.

The reason was an increase in the caseload, with more children requiring additional learning needs support, foster care or other specialised support outside of Flintshire.

The shift added almost a third to the out of county annual overspend for 2025/26.

County councils have a statutory duty to offer care to those in need of social services support or children in need of additional support – including providing out of county placements where suitable care provision is not available within the authority.

Cabinet member for Transformation and deputy leader Cllr Richard Jones said it was a timely reminder that some of the biggest financial challenges facing Flintshire are things the authority cannot control.

He said: “In one month we have seen an increased spend of half a million pounds, which shows you the volatility of demand which we have no control over

“That is why we are proposing increasing the out of county budget in 2026–27.  We overspent this year by £1.83 million and we anticipate that next year out of county services will probably be in a worse position, so we are putting £2.5 million in as an increase for that spend.”

That increase, if approved, is earmarked not only to meet rising costs but to increase in-county provision. Being able to support children within Flintshire would represent a significant saving for the authority while allowing children to receive support in more familiar surroundings.

The recommendation that council approve an increased out of county budget tomorrow was welcomed by Cllr Glyn Banks.

He said: “I think this highlights the fact that we never turn our backs on those most in need.

“We should be proud of how we protect children and those most in need through the use of out of county placements.”

But with demand for out of county provision and social services support on the increase, Flintshire council leader Cllr Dave Hughes said the authority needed more support to continue providing that safety net.

He said: “We have got to have money to do it.

“That is why we need to be pushing the Welsh Government for more support.”