Responding to an Age UK report on people who pay for their own
care, including an increase in the number of people who have
spent the majority of their savings and assets on care, Cllr
Paulette Hamilton, Vice Chair of the Local Government
Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, said:
“This report is an important and timely
reminder of the urgent need for major reform of our social care
system.
“People of all ages should be able to
live the lives they want to lead and councils are doing all they
can to protect social care services, despite the impact of the
pandemic exacerbating the serious long-term funding and demand
pressures facing adult social care.
“It is in everyone’s interest that people
have access to good quality independent financial advice,
information on which is provided by councils, so that they are
able to manage and make the most of their finances and assets
when it comes to paying for care.
“Coronavirus has raised the profile and
value of social care in its own right and we have been calling
for a sustainable funding settlement for adult social care, since
long before the current crisis.
“Part of this solution needs to consider
how best to address the recognised need for greater fairness in
how care is paid for and funded. We look forward to when the
cross-party talks on the future of social care finally
begin.”
NOTES TO
EDITORS
The LGA represents more than 330 councils
of all types across England. We work on behalf of our members to
support, promote and improve local
government.
It is councils who had led communities
through the COVID-19 crisis. Our recent polling shows that 71
per cent of residents trust their council and two thirds are
satisfied with the way their local council runs things in their
area. Our new discussion paper - !
Re-thinking Local - sets out how councils must now be
empowered to locally-lead the COVID-19 recovery and tackle the
economic, environmental and community challenges that we will
face as a result of the pandemic.
