Lewisham CAMHS performance report goes to CYP committee newsshopper.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from newsshopper.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A total of 65 individuals were paid in excess of £100,000 by councils in south east London, according to a rich list compiled by a right-wing pressure group. The figures, for the 2019/20 financial year, have been published by the Taxpayers Alliance as part of its latest annual findings.
Greenwich has the most top earners, 28 in total, the highest paid being Chief Executive Debbie Warren with a salary of £198,466. In Bexley, 15 employees were included. Again, the Chief Executive topped the list in earnings, taking home £187,546. A spokesperson for Bexley Council said: We have continued to reduce the number of senior officers in our structures and in the last year we have reduced the cost of our management structure by £900,000.
The council says its hands are tied because of years of Government austerity – Lewisham’s budget has been slashed by 40 per cent in the past decade, equating to about £500 per resident. It has also says it will be investing in early help and support in schools in a bid to prevent mental health issues becoming so severe that children need CAMHS. But although there is a general acceptance of the majority of cuts, all 11 members of Lewisham’s children and young people select committee voted against the CAMHS one, with the chair Cllr Luke Sorba pushing for reserves to be used instead.
Save Lewisham Hospital: CAMHS cut will cost more long-term thisislocallondon.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thisislocallondon.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Despite this, it looks likely that it will go ahead. But following the concerns raised, it was announced that the £250,000 would be ringfenced as a contingency fund if there is a surge in need. Last night (February 16) at a meeting of the overview and scrutiny business panel, the chair of the CPY select committee, Cllr Luke Sorba, asked what would trigger the release of the funds and where the money would come from. Director for children and young people Pinaki Ghoshal explained that the council is working on what would have to happen for the money to be released. In relation to CAMHS, potential triggers include an increase in referrals to the service, a decrease in the acceptance of referrals, an increase in waiting times, an increase in wait from referral to assessment, and an increase in wait from assessment to treatment.