LGA: Nine in 10 councillors back
call for social care priority in
government
More than nine in 10 councillors from
across the country and political spectrum have called on the
Government to give greater priority to social care and start
committing more resources to it now, an exclusive new poll for
the Local Government Association
reveals.
The survey of more than 600 councillors
showed that 91 per cent agreed with the statement, coming in the
wake of the devastating coronavirus pandemic which has
exacerbated pre-existing pressures on the system and their
consequences for people who draw on care and support. It also
comes ahead of a key House of Lords debate taking place today on
social care provision and the role of
carers.
The LGA supported the survey, which was
run by Survation for Social Care Future (SCF), a movement
campaigning to bring about major, positive change in what social
care does, how it works and how it is understood by the
public.
The LGA, which represents councils, said
the results are another stark reminder of the urgent need for
long-awaited proposals on the future of social care and how we
fund it to be brought forward at the earliest opportunity and
before the summer parliamentary
recess.
Ninety-four per cent of councillors
agreed with SCF's vision that the function of social care is to
ensure that we can all 'live in the place we call home, be with
the people and things that we love, in communities where we care
about and support each other, doing the things that matter to
us.' These findings build on SCF's earlier polling which showed
strong public support for this vision of social
care.
Any long-term solution must therefore
secure greater preventive investment in social care, allowing
people to live their own lives independently in their own homes
and communities, alongside long-term funding to tackle key issues
facing social care beyond just protecting people from selling
their homes to pay for care. This should include action on unmet
need, provider market support and new models of care, and greater
support for unpaid carers.
Doing so also requires urgent action to
begin building a workforce fit for the future, including action
on pay, training and development, career progression and
professionalisation, and recognition. This will help the skills
of the future workforce match the aspirations of people who have
cause to draw on care and support.
Other results from the survey showed
councillors overwhelmingly (95 per cent) recognised the important
role of councils in supporting and working alongside local
communities to ensure people have the support they need to live
good lives.
Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the
LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board,
said:
“Social care has been on the frontline
throughout the pandemic and there has never been a more crucial
time to find a long-term solution to how we support all those who
draw upon and work in these vital
services.
“As this survey proves, local councillors
across the country and of all political colours are
overwhelmingly in favour of social care being a major priority
for the Government along with the funding needed to not just get
through the pandemic, but to build back better from
it.
“As SCF state, we all want to live in the
place we call home, be with the people and things that we love,
in communities where we care about and support each other, doing
the things that matter to us. This is the role of social care and
94 per cent of councillors agree with this
vision.
“Millions of people who draw upon or work
in the field of social care deserve to know that their and their
families' future is secure, after all they have experienced over
the past 15 months. We look forward to government bringing
forward its proposals as soon as possible and before the summer
parliamentary recess.
“The work of Social Care Future over the
last two years has been an important contribution to the debate
about the kind of social care system we want and need, focusing
on what people who themselves draw on social care need for them
to live their best lives, which should be at the heart of any
future reforms.”
Notes to
Editors
The LGA/Social Care Future survey is
available on request.
Social Care Future’s vision is that we
should draw together the support we, or those close to us, need
if we have a health condition or disability during our lives,
that we can draw upon to live our lives the way we want to, with
meaning, purpose and a sense of belonging, no matter our age or
stage of life. It was developed with the involvement of people
that draw on and work in the field of social care and thorough
extensive public audience research: How
to build public support to transform social care - summary of
public audience research
The survey comes as Social Care Future
also published the results of its own
inquiry setting out five key changes which are needed
to bring about a more positive future of care and support:
Communities where everyone belongs; Living in the place we call
home; Leading the lives we want to live; More resources, better
used; Sharing power as equals.
LGA
Briefing: Debate on social care provision in the UK and the role
of carers in that provision, House of Lords, 24 June
2021
