Ernie Clark. Hilperton Division, Wiltshire Council.

Aster Living has abandoned three contracts with Wiltshire Council.

The contracts were awarded as part of the 'Help to Live at Home' scheme, which divided the county into eight contract areas.

Aster got two areas in the south and one in the east. The others are shared amongst three other companies.

The contracts are being re-tendered and the cabinet at Wiltshire Council is being asked to find the reasons for the failure. Council officers admit that frontline care staff are underpaid and undervalued, and the quality of care delivered to customers needs to be improved.

Although council officers are being coy about the detailed reasons for the collapse, they've admitted that the provider has been unable to get staff to work at the disgracefully low wages being offered.

Wages for frontline staff in Wiltshire are about £7.50 per hour. However care workers on 'zero hour contracts' only get paid when with a customer, so the effective hourly rate can drop well below the minimum wage when travel is taken into account.

It had been hoped that the Care to Live at Home system would provide a more stable and efficient workforce!!

The new contracts will begin at the end of September. Bids are currently being evaluated, and the new contracts will be awarded in August.

Care for the elderly was one of the issues I raised in my Election Address and it is shocking to see such a major failure of the system. Questions need to be asked, and will, but, no doubt, the grandees at WC will point the finger of blame elsewhere...