City of York Counci in £2 million adult care plea to Government

YORK’S council chief has demanded Government promises about almost £2 million to help deal with the city’s adult care pressures.

The funding was secured last month shortly before City of York Council discovered how much money it will receive from Westminster over the next two years, with the public spending squeeze meaning the authority is to lose £12.3 million.

That blow was tempered with an extra £1.997 million being provided for adult social care in the city, with an ageing population placing a strain on finances.

But as this money first goes to the region’s primary care trust, NHS North Yorkshire and York, council leader Andrew Waller has written to the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department of Health to seek assurances it will be passed on to the authority.

He says this confirmation is vital as the council prepares to set its 2011/12 budget and that his concerns stem from the way previous government funding has been allocated.

In his letter to Parliamentary Under-Secretary Andrew Stunell and Care Services Minister Paul Burstow, Coun Waller wrote that he wanted “clarity” and “clear guidance” and that snags had previously arisen over some funding for York’s reablement services, which help elderly people reduce their dependency on long-term care but are now to be privatised.

Coun Waller said: “We have seen in the past that some funding does not make it through to us, and if we are banking on including that within next year’s budget, it is a concern.

“We need the full amount because we have an ageing population and there is more and more demand for care services with people wanting to stay in their own homes. We have to bolster these services and that means we must make sure we get this funding.”

An NHS North Yorkshire and York spokesman said: “Over recent weeks, the Government has announced additional funding for reablement and NHS social care.

“The monies will come directly to the primary care trust and we are working closely with North Yorkshire County Council and City of York Council to ensure this is spent appropriately in a way which benefits local people and supports the whole health and social care economy.”