It is all too easy to be fixated with finances in local government – or lack of them at least – with the level of funding in the sector.
The write up of The MJ's Future Forum in this week's issue, gives a clear indication that there is a real fear over the stability of the sector in the next couple of years.
The Government has only cleared 46% of the deficit so there is a long way to go and very little unprotected budget left.
Delegates at the forum were open about the difficulties they face in 2015/16 – and the impossible situation for 2016/17 but are we becoming too obsessed with the bottom line?
It matters – but it may not be what matters most.
Staff morale has been dealt a blow and that is apparent in both the stories on our front page this week.
Solace looked at the plight of middle managers who are frustrated with their senior managers and politicians.
It seems they want some leadership from both.
And the nudge unit highlights the pressure faced by those on one of the sharpest ends of the frontline – social workers.
Effectively, the report warns that social workers are in danger of burning out with their workload pressure – with a ‘depletion of mental resources'.
So while the sector waits to see which council falls first when it comes to managing its budgets, there is a real danger that it won't be the budget that is the problem. Service failure – particularly adult and children's services – could be the more likely downfall.
The media fallout of service failure is a far more daunting prospect for the sector than a financial crash – and harder to defend against criticism from central government.
No one is going to have much sympathy for council budgets when there is a children's social care catastrophe.
So it may not all be about the money, the efficiency or the innovation.
Some of it is about the staff.
Not to mention a million other issues.
