MORE key worker housing should be introduced for social workers to reduce the council’s dependency on agency staff, councillors have said.

Members of Slough Borough Council’s employment and appeals committees made the recommendation on Monday, which will be presented to cabinet.

Between March 2013 and February 2014, the council spent £7.43m on agency workers, with 218 agency workers employed by the council in February, including 43 who have been there for more than one year. Of those, 172 were employed in the wellbeing department.

Councillors feel encouraging new workers to live in the town will help reduce the reliance on temporary staff.

Cllr Ted Plenty, speaking to Karl Davis, head of service for children and social care, said: “It is quite clear that recruiting social workers is no longer about getting them vocations, it is about money and they move on for a few more grand a year.

“Ofsted said that having the amount of temporary staff was not helping us, and it is your job to get that down and we will hold you to that.” Cllr Plenty and Cllr Roger Davis proposed key worker accommodation would be the best way to increase the amount of permanent social workers in the town.

Kevin Gordon, assistant director professional services, said: “We have seen authorities go from a standing start to having it [key worker housing] ready in two months. We can make all sorts of things happen in the borough but it is about time, risk and resources.”