FEARS have been raised that a new trading company set up for vulnerable adults across Dorset's three councils could be 'a complete and utter disaster.'

The authority has agreed to set up a local authority trading company (LATC) with Bournemouth and Poole borough councils to provide adult social care. It is due to go live on July 1.

Around 1,200 staff, covering just under 900 full time equivalent posts, will be transferred to the LATC from the council.

The LATC, called Tricuro, will be based in Poole and have a combined budget of around £38million. It will be able to trade in the open market for 20% of its turnover and is proposing to save £8.9million over the next five years, with Dorset County Council's share amounting to £7.5million.

The move is part of the Better Together Partnership aimed at improving health and social care services for adults across Dorset. The new company will remain firmly under the control of local councillor in bid to maintain high standards of care. The three councils will hold 100 per cent of the shares in Tricuro and retain strategic control through an executive shareholder group.

But yesterday Dorset county councillors raised concerns that the scheme was being rushed through and could lead to 'chaos.'

Cllr David Harris said: "We're rushing in to it. Everyone's been saying that and it concerns me." Cllr Trevor Jones said it could be 'chaos.'

Staff have also raised concerns over the move, with union leaders warning it could be heading for a ‘complete and utter disaster’ similar to the Dorset Waste Partnership.

One long serving staff member, who asked not to be named, said that there was a feeling among colleagues that they could lose out as a result of the amalgamation with Poole and Bournemouth.

She said concerns had been raised in meetings that staff would have to travel more while those in Poole and Bournemouth were on a better hourly rate.

The staff member said that she believed many employees were just waiting to see how the new system would pan out but would consider leaving if their fears are realised, leaving the new LATC with a shortage of experienced staff.

The Unison, Unite and GMB unions have all raised concerns with the council. Sarah Pattison from the GMB union questioned why the county council had deemed it appropriate to hand "undue influence" over the treatment and care of vulnerable services users to councillors in Bournemouth and Poole.

She added: “We believe that the residents of Dorset are having their amenities handed over to Bournemouth and Poole without any democratic debate or full knowledge of what has taken place.”

Other concerns raised by the unions include an assumption in the business plan that sick leave will reduce through the move to the LATC, the failure to appoint a managing director just weeks before the new system is due to start and the need to protect staff terms and conditions in the long term.

Ms Pattison said that there was a concern the council could see another fiasco like the much troubled Dorset Waste Partnership.

She said: “We feel we are heading towards a complete and utter disaster in many ways. We have seen problems with the Dorset Waste Partnership and it looks like we are going into the same murky water here.”

At yesterday's council meeting, cabinet member for adult social care Jill Haynes and director Catherine Driscoll defended the decision to set up the LATC.

Mrs Driscoll said: “The quality of care we provide is entirely dependent on the quality of our staff. We are very proud of those services and very proud of the staff and we are not going to do anything that undermines the quality of care."

While Tricuro will be able to trade in the open market for up to 20 per cent of its turnover, Mrs Driscoll insisted the focus would be on getting the new system right for existing service users first, but said it would mean that people who wanted to be able to pay to use services like the council's day care centres would be able to.

She said: “Our prime focus initially is a safe landing, making sure people currently receiving care and that they don’t experience any difference in the quality of care.”

“We are experiencing challenges. We are very focused on the challenges and risks caused by the formation or Tricuro. It’s tough, it’s a worry, but we believe we can do it.

"We know it’s challenging. It’s more than three times the challenge of having three authorities working together and we have got more work to do. We have three local authorities with very different challenges."

Cllr Haynes added that lessons had been learned from things like the Dorset Waste Partnership and the board of elected members would be keeping a close eye on the budgets.

She added: “It is a really exciting time and certainly the staff I have spoken to are very pumped up and want to get on with it.

“I realise for some people it’s a concern because it’s always a concern if you have change in the way your job is managed but I would like to reassure everybody we are looking to make this as smooth as possible.”