logo
Promised £4m funding for Whitchurch Civic Centre not found

Promised £4m funding for Whitchurch Civic Centre not found

BBC News4 days ago
Money that was supposed to be set aside to bring Whitchurch Civic Centre back into use has not been identified, Shropshire Council has revealed.The centre has been closed since September 2023 after it was discovered to have used potentially dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).In February, when the authority was run by the Conservatives, its cabinet agreed to commit up to £4m within its capital strategy towards the repair or rebuilding of the centre. But the council's current administration, run by the Liberal Democrats, confirmed that no funding was identified and put into the capital programme.
The BBC has contacted the Conservatives for comment.The funding was due to be used to rebuild and redevelop the site or create a new roof for the centre, depending on whether or not government or external funding could be secured.The council said the likely aspiration was to redevelop the site and create a new, modern, fit-for-purpose and energy-efficient building. This was emerging as the preferred option, said the council, as opposed to replacing just the roof.
'Left in limbo'
Andy Hall, who is both a Shropshire and Whitchurch town councillor, said he was "extremely disappointed" that the people in the town had been"hoodwinked into believing £4m had been set aside from the Conservative administration"."Money was set aside for this but it doesn't exist," said Hall."It leaves us in limbo until we have a finance meeting and identify where the money can come from."The North Shropshire Conservative Association has been contacted for comment.Roger Evans, the council's cabinet member for finance said: "I understand the expectation and the need for Whitchurch to have a functioning civic centre and promise that we will continue to discuss and share future plans".This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations.
Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'
Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'

Leader Live

time2 hours ago

  • Leader Live

Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'

Posts filled by people with a British nationality since 2020/2021 fell by 7%. The Government has previously pledged to 'end the reliance on overseas recruitment' but Skills for Care's latest report has said there must be a focus on 'how we attract and keep more people domestically'. In the most recent year alone, the twelve months to March, the number of posts filled by British nationals fell by 30,000, the organisation, which is the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, said. The organisation measures posts filled rather than the number of people, because a person might hold more than one post and roles might also be shared. In rules which came into effect last week, new applications for care workers and senior care workers under the skilled worker visa were closed, as part of Government efforts in 'restoring control over the immigration system'. In April the Government implemented new rules saying that care providers would have to prove they had attempted to recruit a worker from within England, before looking overseas. The latest Skills for Care report said domestic recruitment 'remains challenging for the sector' and that the new immigration rules from July 'will make it more challenging for the sector to continue to grow in line with demand'. The organisation re-stated its previous projection that an extra 470,000 people will need to be employed in the sector by 2040 to meet the needs of a growing older population. The report said: 'A substantial increase in recruitment and retention of staff with a British nationality would likely be required to achieve this level of growth.' Under the previous Conservative government, a ban on international care workers bringing dependants to the UK led to a sharp drop in health and care visas in the months after the measure came in. The latest Skills for Care report said an estimated 50,000 people arrived in the UK in 2024/25 to start direct care-providing roles in the independent sector, down from 105,000 the previous year. Of the 50,000 recruited internationally, an estimated 10,000 came on a health and care worker visa, while the rest came on other routes, potentially including student visas and family members of people arriving in the UK on other visa types. Overall, the number of adult social care posts filled between 2023/24 and 2024/25 rose by 52,000 to 1.6 million. The vacancy rate has also fallen to 7.0%, with 111,000 vacant posts on any given day in the year to March. This is down from an 8.3% vacancy rate in the year to March 2024, when there were 126,000 vacant posts on any given day. The vacancy rate hit a high of 152,000 vacant posts a day in the 12 months to March 2022. Oonagh Smyth, Skills for Care's chief executive, said while the falling vacancy rate is 'encouraging', the sector 'can't afford to be complacent'. She said: 'We need to protect ourselves from the wild swings in vacancy rates driven by the wider economic picture. 'It's important to recognise that, while the vacancy rate in social care has reduced, it's still three times that of the wider economy.' She urged investment in 'stable recruitment and retention' and efforts to make roles 'more attractive to the domestic workforce over the long term' including through development opportunities, improving the quality of roles and supporting positive cultures within organisations. She added: 'We know there's lots more to do, though. Everyone, from Government to care providers, from regulators to frontline staff, has a role to play in building the workforce we need to deliver the best possible care and support for the people in our communities who draw on local services.' The Government has been contacted for comment. The Social Care Institute for Excellence said the drop in the vacancy rate was a 'cause for optimism' but the system remained 'precariously dependent' on overseas workers. Chief executive Kathryn Marsden said: 'This overreliance is not a sustainable strategy and it leaves the entire care system vulnerable to policy changes and political headwinds beyond its control.'

Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'
Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'

South Wales Argus

time2 hours ago

  • South Wales Argus

Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'

Posts filled by people with a British nationality since 2020/2021 fell by 7%. The Government has previously pledged to 'end the reliance on overseas recruitment' but Skills for Care's latest report has said there must be a focus on 'how we attract and keep more people domestically'. In the most recent year alone, the twelve months to March, the number of posts filled by British nationals fell by 30,000, the organisation, which is the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, said. The organisation measures posts filled rather than the number of people, because a person might hold more than one post and roles might also be shared. In rules which came into effect last week, new applications for care workers and senior care workers under the skilled worker visa were closed, as part of Government efforts in 'restoring control over the immigration system'. In April the Government implemented new rules saying that care providers would have to prove they had attempted to recruit a worker from within England, before looking overseas. The latest Skills for Care report said domestic recruitment 'remains challenging for the sector' and that the new immigration rules from July 'will make it more challenging for the sector to continue to grow in line with demand'. The organisation re-stated its previous projection that an extra 470,000 people will need to be employed in the sector by 2040 to meet the needs of a growing older population. The report said: 'A substantial increase in recruitment and retention of staff with a British nationality would likely be required to achieve this level of growth.' Under the previous Conservative government, a ban on international care workers bringing dependants to the UK led to a sharp drop in health and care visas in the months after the measure came in. The latest Skills for Care report said an estimated 50,000 people arrived in the UK in 2024/25 to start direct care-providing roles in the independent sector, down from 105,000 the previous year. Of the 50,000 recruited internationally, an estimated 10,000 came on a health and care worker visa, while the rest came on other routes, potentially including student visas and family members of people arriving in the UK on other visa types. Overall, the number of adult social care posts filled between 2023/24 and 2024/25 rose by 52,000 to 1.6 million. The vacancy rate has also fallen to 7.0%, with 111,000 vacant posts on any given day in the year to March. This is down from an 8.3% vacancy rate in the year to March 2024, when there were 126,000 vacant posts on any given day. The vacancy rate hit a high of 152,000 vacant posts a day in the 12 months to March 2022. Oonagh Smyth, Skills for Care's chief executive, said while the falling vacancy rate is 'encouraging', the sector 'can't afford to be complacent'. She said: 'We need to protect ourselves from the wild swings in vacancy rates driven by the wider economic picture. 'It's important to recognise that, while the vacancy rate in social care has reduced, it's still three times that of the wider economy.' She urged investment in 'stable recruitment and retention' and efforts to make roles 'more attractive to the domestic workforce over the long term' including through development opportunities, improving the quality of roles and supporting positive cultures within organisations. She added: 'We know there's lots more to do, though. Everyone, from Government to care providers, from regulators to frontline staff, has a role to play in building the workforce we need to deliver the best possible care and support for the people in our communities who draw on local services.' The Government has been contacted for comment. The Social Care Institute for Excellence said the drop in the vacancy rate was a 'cause for optimism' but the system remained 'precariously dependent' on overseas workers. Chief executive Kathryn Marsden said: 'This overreliance is not a sustainable strategy and it leaves the entire care system vulnerable to policy changes and political headwinds beyond its control.'

Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'
Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'

Rhyl Journal

time2 hours ago

  • Rhyl Journal

Adult social care vacancies down but domestic recruitment still ‘challenging'

Posts filled by people with a British nationality since 2020/2021 fell by 7%. The Government has previously pledged to 'end the reliance on overseas recruitment' but Skills for Care's latest report has said there must be a focus on 'how we attract and keep more people domestically'. In the most recent year alone, the twelve months to March, the number of posts filled by British nationals fell by 30,000, the organisation, which is the strategic workforce development and planning body for adult social care in England, said. The organisation measures posts filled rather than the number of people, because a person might hold more than one post and roles might also be shared. In rules which came into effect last week, new applications for care workers and senior care workers under the skilled worker visa were closed, as part of Government efforts in 'restoring control over the immigration system'. In April the Government implemented new rules saying that care providers would have to prove they had attempted to recruit a worker from within England, before looking overseas. The latest Skills for Care report said domestic recruitment 'remains challenging for the sector' and that the new immigration rules from July 'will make it more challenging for the sector to continue to grow in line with demand'. The organisation re-stated its previous projection that an extra 470,000 people will need to be employed in the sector by 2040 to meet the needs of a growing older population. The report said: 'A substantial increase in recruitment and retention of staff with a British nationality would likely be required to achieve this level of growth.' Under the previous Conservative government, a ban on international care workers bringing dependants to the UK led to a sharp drop in health and care visas in the months after the measure came in. The latest Skills for Care report said an estimated 50,000 people arrived in the UK in 2024/25 to start direct care-providing roles in the independent sector, down from 105,000 the previous year. Of the 50,000 recruited internationally, an estimated 10,000 came on a health and care worker visa, while the rest came on other routes, potentially including student visas and family members of people arriving in the UK on other visa types. Overall, the number of adult social care posts filled between 2023/24 and 2024/25 rose by 52,000 to 1.6 million. The vacancy rate has also fallen to 7.0%, with 111,000 vacant posts on any given day in the year to March. This is down from an 8.3% vacancy rate in the year to March 2024, when there were 126,000 vacant posts on any given day. The vacancy rate hit a high of 152,000 vacant posts a day in the 12 months to March 2022. Oonagh Smyth, Skills for Care's chief executive, said while the falling vacancy rate is 'encouraging', the sector 'can't afford to be complacent'. She said: 'We need to protect ourselves from the wild swings in vacancy rates driven by the wider economic picture. 'It's important to recognise that, while the vacancy rate in social care has reduced, it's still three times that of the wider economy.' She urged investment in 'stable recruitment and retention' and efforts to make roles 'more attractive to the domestic workforce over the long term' including through development opportunities, improving the quality of roles and supporting positive cultures within organisations. She added: 'We know there's lots more to do, though. Everyone, from Government to care providers, from regulators to frontline staff, has a role to play in building the workforce we need to deliver the best possible care and support for the people in our communities who draw on local services.' The Government has been contacted for comment. The Social Care Institute for Excellence said the drop in the vacancy rate was a 'cause for optimism' but the system remained 'precariously dependent' on overseas workers. Chief executive Kathryn Marsden said: 'This overreliance is not a sustainable strategy and it leaves the entire care system vulnerable to policy changes and political headwinds beyond its control.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store