More than £40 million of extra funding is being invested in services for adults and children to tackle the financial pressure on the system.

Adult social care and children’s services at Dudley Council are forecasting a combined £12 million pressure with more vulnerable adults and children needing care and support, often with more complex needs.

Council leaders have made good on their promise to make vulnerable people a priority for funding by increasing money in the budget over the next three years.

At a meeting yesterday evening, an extra £13.3 million was approved for adult social care next year, rising to £21.8 million the following year and up to £29.2 million in year three.

At the same meeting children’s services was given the green light for an extra £7.8 million for the next 12 months, increasing to £10.5 million the year after and £12.4 million in the final year. Councillor Matt Rogers, cabinet member for adult social care, said:

"The rising cost of providing services for older people is putting a big strain on council services. These are vital services so we have to meet that strain head-on by providing extra money.

"We are taking a firmer grip on our finances to ensure there are adult social care services for people of this borough."

Councillor Ruth Buttery, cabinet member for children’s services, added:

"As a child friendly borough, we are putting children first when looking at funding and the borough’s future.

"Children and families depend on these services and we need to meet that demand with appropriate levels of funding. We have already invested in early prevention services to stop people going into crisis and we need to build on the early successes from that investment."