Reform Staffordshire councillor calls cabinet colleague ‘misguided’ over call-in
A senior Reform UK councillor says a cabinet colleague was ‘misguided’ to call in one of his decisions.
Thirteen members of the ruling Reform group on Staffordshire County Council formally called for a rethink on a decision relating to children who go missing from care.
They included three members of the cabinet, and two cabinet support members – meaning it was a very public disagreement between council leaders.
Councillor Nicholas Lakin, cabinet member for children and young people, made the delegated decision to stop funding return home interviews (RHIs) for children in the care of other authorities who go missing after being placed in Staffordshire.
Authorities are only legally required to carry out RHIs for children in their own care – Cllr Lakin said the decision will allow the council to divert resources towards meeting its statutory duties. But Councillor Anthony Screen, cabinet member for community safety, disagreed with the decision, saying the council would be less able to tackle the risks facing vulnerable children if it does not conduct the RHIs.
Following the call-in, the decision was examined by members of the corporate overview and scrutiny committee. Committee members quizzed Cllr Lakin on the disagreement within cabinet, and he said Cllr Screen had been wrong to call in the decision.
Cllr Lakin said: “He’s misguided, it’s as simple as that. The previous administration used Staffordshire ratepayers’ money to fund other authorities, when it comes to return home interviews.
“He’s got concerns – I’ve got concerns, but when you look at all the facts, all the legislation, all the procedures in place, then just changing who actually carries out the RHIs will free up social workers’ ability to [carry out their statutory duties]. RHIs for those children will still happen, but they’ll be funded by their local authority.”
Cllr Lakin said the other Reform councillors had followed ‘Cllr Screen’s misguided advice to them’, instead of speaking to him and officers about the decision. He told the committee that the issue had been ‘thrashed out’ in cabinet.
Cabinet members Andrew Mynors and Martin Rogerson also called for the decision to be reconsidered, as did cabinet support members Alex Hunt and Patrick Allen. But officers said council rules mean full cabinet members cannot call in decisions, meaning the report to the committee only listed 10 Reform councillors, rather than the 13 on the original call-in sheet.
Councillor Craig Humphreyson, lead member for the call-in, told the committee the decision on RHIs raised ‘significant’ safeguarding, operational and governance risks.
He said: “The risks these children face are identical to those faced by Staffordshire children. They live in our communities, attend our schools and go missing from addresses within this county. Removing RHIs reduces the visibility of risk, weakens multi-agency intelligence and undermines our ability to meet statutory safeguarding duties.
“Missing episodes are a critical source of intelligence and RHIs are one of the most important tools for identifying exploitation, coercion and contextual harm.”
But Cllr Lakin said intelligence from RHIs with the children of other authorities would not automatically come to the county council anyway.
The committee was told that Staffordshire Police would still carry out ‘safe and well’ checks for all children in care who go missing in Staffordshire, allowing important information to be shared with partners.
Cllr Lakin said: “It’s only right and proper that the other local authorities take their responsibilities and carry out their legal requirements. Finance comes into it, but there’s no reduction in funding. It’s not a case of penny-pinching. It’s about utilising the resources as best we can. I believe that everyone should step up to the plate and do what they are required to do.”
The committee voted against referring the issue back to cabinet, instead opting to support the original decision.
Cllr Screen has been approached for comment.
