ELECTIONS: Yeovil MP is appalled at council failing Somerset’s children

YEOVIL MP David Laws, who is a Minister of State for Schools, has been left appalled at an Ofsted report which has branded children’s services run by Somerset County Council as “inadequate.”

A team from Essex County Council have now been asked to come in and work with Somerset County Council to try and improve these services.

Mr Laws said: “The report released on Friday (March 27, 2015) by Ofsted shows the appalling state Somerset’s children’s services are now in. The council is failing vulnerable children, the young people who really rely on these services. It just simply isn’t good enough.

‘When the Liberal Democrats ran the county council in Somerset, children’s services in our region were excellent. But since then, the Conservative-led council has run children’s services into the ground and the standard has gone downhill dramatically.”

Mr Laws added: “Back in November last year, after the council was called in to meet with Government Ministers to discuss the failings, Ofsted described many of our children’s centres as ‘unsafe.’ Today, inspectors have branded the whole mess a “corporate failure.”

“Things have to change. The Conservative council has shown that they cannot provide residents in Somerset with high quality, or even safe, children’s services.”

Mr Laws will be hoping to retain the Yeovil constituency for the Liberal Democrats at the General Election on May 7, 2015. There will also be district and town/parish councils that day. There are no elections for Somerset County Council.

FURTHER STORY - Essex County Council called in to sort out Somerset's failing children's services: http://www.yeovilpress.co.uk/blog/2015/03/28/somerset-news-essex-county-council-called-in-to-sort-out-somerset-s-failing-children-s-services/ .

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