AN EXTERNAL report that is expected to highlight major weaknesses in Swindon Council's social services department is still yet to arrive at the Civic Offices.

The joint review by the Audit Commission and Government Department of Health took place in September and the sub-sequent report was due to arrive nearly a month ago.

But it has been delayed, causing further anguish for councillors who are trying to work out next year's over-stretched budget.

Like the Ofsted inspection of the education department, the report is likely to recommend a shake-up of parts of the service, particularly provisions for the elderly and infirm.

Any recommended changes will cost money and it has been predicted the bill could be in the region of £500,000.

But until the report arrives, the department will not know what improvements will be expected, so no preparation can be made to account for those costs.

Council leader Mike Bawden said the delay was causing all manner of headaches for the council's budget-planning process.

"We are waiting with considerable apprehension for the report because we believe it is going to make our funding problems even worse," he said.

"It has put everything back for us because we are supposed to be going out to public consultation now on our proposals for next year's budget, but without this report, we don't have all the facts in front of us.

"We were led to believe this report would be with us about a month ago but we're now approaching Christmas and we've got nothing. It is totally frustrating."

The social services department is expected to come in for criticism from the inspectors, with a huge shortage of care home beds one of the most publicised difficulties.

But many of its problems are caused by a dire shortage of money from central government.

Swindon Council recently joined all other local authorities in the South West to start a campaign to highlight a growing funding crisis in social care in the region.

It is thought that the funding gap for the whole region is around £70 million. That is based on £778 million allocated to the South West by the Government through the Standard Spending Assessment (SSA), when the actual cost of running the service is more than £850 million.

The councils are warning that the social care safety net for children, the elderly and vulnerable is being stretched to breaking point.

The majority of the funding gap has been plugged through council tax rises, but despite this, rising demand for services and rising costs have led to a total projected overspend in the current financial year of more than £12 million.

The Department of Health, which is in charge of issuing the report, declined to offer any comment.