LGA heralds recognition of councils' vital role in adult care white paper

30 March 2010

Responding to the publication of the government White Paper, which gives councils a lead role in delivering the future of adult social care, Dame Margaret Eaton, chairman of the Local Government Association, said:

“It is a step forward that we have been listened to, and the importance of local councils in delivering top quality care has been recognised. The LGA has long argued that providing the best support for older and disabled people depends on a good knowledge of what’s needed in different areas and the varying services which are on offer. It is not possible to respond to the very different needs of individuals on a one-size fits all basis.

“Councils want to be able to offer appropriate help and support to every single resident who needs it, but sadly the funding available hasn’t kept pace with this ambition. Addressing this is of the utmost importance.

“There is no getting away from the difficult question of exactly how a future system of care will be paid for. Both central and local government need to work together to come up with a formula that the country and individual taxpayers will be happy with.

“Over the next parliament the LGA will continue to work hard with ministers to find solutions to some of these difficult questions, whoever is in post.”

Notes:

The LGA is setting out three key questions it would like to see answered as a way of moving the reform of adult care forwards.

• how will immediate problems with funding adult social care be addressed while the details of how to implement and pay for these proposals are worked out?
• how will the funding be balanced to take into account local provision versus national entitlement?
• how will the expertise of local government be incorporated in shaping these plans further and ensuring they are realistic?

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