County council officers are waiting to see what effect the six per cent increase in social services spending, announced in the Budget, will have.
Primary care trusts, responsible for community hospitals, which have become blocked by elderly and infirm patients waiting for social services help, welcomed the rise. But council leader Cllr Keith Mitchell was cautious about whether any of the £9m cuts this year could be stopped. He said: "There was a 5.6 per cent increase this year in social services spending from the Government, so a six per cent increase is not significant."
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