Almost half a million pound overspend on adult health care has been blamed on Labour councillors' incompetence and political posturing.

An overspend of £413,000 by Croydon Council was caused after opposition councillors chose to call in a decision to transfer the running of three residential care homes and seven special sheltered accommodation units to private company Care UK before an Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

This decision, made 11 months after papers outlining the plan were produced, delayed the signing of the contract by six weeks, a decision Councillor Dudley Mead, cabinet member for finance, labelled an “abuse of procedure”.

He said: “I think this is a disgraceful waste of money. Jane Avis in our view didn’t read the paper through. It is incompetent to leave this for 11 months.”

At a cabinet meeting on Monday, September 19, Councillor Ian Parker, Conservative representative for Coulsdon West, labelled the move a “political decision”.

Opposition councillors are entitled to call in any decisions made by the council to an overview and scrutiny committee to query details of the proposal in full.

Following a meeting in May 2011, the contract with Care UK was still signed.

Coun Jane Avis, defending her decision, claimed not all the details were made available last year.

She said: “I could have gone to scrutiny then but when the further details came out I would have done so again. It is outrageous for the Conservatives to question the use of scrutiny, and put a price on the democratic process.”

She said the protection of the care home staff’s rights was her priority, ensuring they received the same conditions with Care UK as with the council, a process called TUPE rights.

She is meeting with union leaders to ensure these rights are protected.