THE local authority's loss-making arms-length care company spent more than £200,000 on agency cover before being closed down.

SB Cares was launched in 2015 with a view to creating profits as well as improving services for its 12,000 elderly and infirm clients across the region.

But the Limited Liability Partnership organisation made significant losses in each of its four years as well as coming in for criticism from the watchdog body, the Care Inspectorate.

And Scottish Borders Council decided to take back direct control from the start of this month.

It has now emerged that more than £200,000 of tax-payers' money was used by SB Cares to prop up their services with agency staff.

During 2016/17 it cost bosses just over £10,000 for agency cover, and the following year they spent just over £8,0000.

But during the arms-length body's last full financial year in 2018/19 a total of £165,178 was handed out to agencies for shift cover.

In the first five months of this year a further agency bill for over £36,000 was also paid for staff cover.

Elected members of Scottish Borders Council rubber-stamped plans to terminate SB Cares at their meeting in September.

Although an SB Cares website is still operational and vehicles continues to have the branding, the arms-length organisation was terminated on December 1 with Scottish Borders Council once more taking direct control of its care services.