Leading Tories alarmed by failure to address ‘cut to the bone’ social care funding

By The Press Association24th November 2016News EnglandAdult Care, Business / Funding / Finance, Finance, Government / Politics, Local Authorities, News England, Social Care

The lack of extra resources for social care in the Autumn Statement has sparked alarm among leading Tories.

Warwickshire County Council leader Izzi Seccombe, who is the most senior Tory in local government in England and Wales, expressed concern that the issue was not addressed by Chancellor Philip Hammond as councils are now “cut to the bone”.

“For it not to be mentioned was an immense surprise, and a huge disappointment, and, I have to say, a concern,” she told BBC Radio Four’s World At One.

Ms Seccombe (pictured) said planned increases in funding would not come fully on-stream until the end of the decade.

“The need is now, it is a tapered amount which will increase until the end of 2020. Right now we have a £1.3 billion gap which is not being funded. We are cut to the bone.”

Former health secretary Lord Lansley said he was “disappointed” Mr Hammond did not deal with the issue in his keynote financial address.

“The next two years are going to be incredibly difficult. And I think the time is now for trying to put some measures in place to try and help health and social care through those next two years,” he told the BBC.

The Tory peer called for the Government to revive recommendations from the 2011 Dilnot report into funding social care, which he said were blocked by the Treasury at the time.

“The issue is very straight forward: it’s, are the Government willing now to implement the Dilnot report, and to make the changes, which would be unpopular, because people would be paying more through the means test for care at home, but in the process they would deliver at least £1.3 billion extra a year to enable social care to give people much greater confidence that they would not suffer a catastrophic loss because they go into long-term care.”

The ex-cabinet colleague of Prime Minister Theresa May said Mr Hammond had more knowledge of the health service than she did.

“My experience of Philip was that he was actually quite knowledgeable about health service matters, and I don’t think Theresa is, perhaps, so knowledgeable, but she is no less sympathetic.”

Speaking during a visit to Gloucestershire, Mrs May said: “I recognise the concerns and challenges that are around social care.

“By the end of the parliament, local authorities will have £3.5 billion more to spend on social care and of course we’re putting more money into the health service as well.

“We need to see the health service and social care working and that’s why the Health Secretary and the Communities Secretary are being apprised of the need for the challenges that are being faced and looking at this issue.”