'Councils have a responsibility to spend money in the right places'

I note with interest a headline in a recent edition of The Daily Mirror -  'Councils have a responsibility to spend money in the right places', and the comments from MP Tessa Munt that followed, along with others made since. The news had in fact been reported here in Somerset some time before that. The article centred on the Interim Director of Children's Services at Somerset County Council, Peter Lewis, and the high salary he receives. Whilst I agree that with the current on-going financial difficulties, there should be public scrutiny of all expenditure, I feel obliged to comment more favourably on his appointment.
I was made aware of Peter Lewis's engagement long before I became a Somerset County Councillor, when I was Chair of Somerset Schools' Forum, having contacted him prior to him taking up his role. Given his track record of turning around Haringey, his appointment was very welcome as, make no mistake about it, Children's Services in Somerset were in a poor state. However, this demise had come about over a longer period of time than the previous incumbents of SCC would lead us to believe. 
Since joining SCC as a councillor I have had regular contact with Peter, and know that he is totally committed to turning around the welfare and education of all children in this county, to a point where we can all start to be proud once again. It has taken some time to put the necessary measures in place, and some key changes to personnel, but slowly we are beginning to reap the rewards of his influence. Peter expects, and indeed demands, the highest standards. Without doubt, to my mind at least, he always puts our children first. I am aware of several occasions where purely through his keen level of interest extraordinary things have happened, but because of the sensitive nature of much of the work involved, particularly in the area of safeguarding, it is not permissible to bring it into the public domain. He has a pragmatic approach towards problems, and while he is not perfect, and doesn't always get it right, none of us do.
Yes, the money he is paid may well fund rather a lot of social workers, but what we are trying to achieve down here in Somerset is to raise our game, and initial indications are that this is what is being achieved. I firmly believe that we should not, and indeed must not, count the cost when it comes to providing the very best outcomes for our children.  They are after all our future.
Summer is of course the time when MPs rush to their constituencies to show how keen they are to hear our views. I would argue that given the few who do turn out to meet their MPs, the time would be better spent elsewhere. When representing the electorate, it is the constant round the clock engagement that counts. I have had cause to contact several of our local MPs recently, over their failure to respond to issues in relation to children's services. I am pleased to say that although we may come from different ends of the political spectrum, Tessa Munt was not among them.