Essex CC - good at publicity and bad at looking after children

Essex County Council has been shown to be good at publicity and bad at looking after vulnerable children. In the space of a week, it stood out in two league tables. The first rated Tory-run Essex and seven other authorities as the worst councils in the country for child protection. See The Guardian. The second was for spending on council publicity - where it came ninth highest. See the BBC report.

The Liberal Democrat leader on the County Council (Chelmsford North councillor Tom Smith-Hughes) commented:
"The Conservatives have spent the past year swaggering around the county and the country consumed with a stream of ridiculous headline grabbing gimmicks.

They've bragged about their plans to recruit the runner up of the BBC's 'The Apprentice' show that came to nothing, they've hosted conferences that achieved practically nothing and they've showcased its communications department. Yet they failed to do the one thing that the public expects of them - look out for the most vulnerable members of our community, our children."

Read the full story on the Chelmsford Lib Dem website.