Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Rejected
Local authorities face unsustainable adult social care costs, impacting other essential public services.
Conclusion
Local authorities are buckling under the strain of the costs of providing adult social care. The current system is unsustainable. Failure to reform adult social care, especially the funding structure, comes at a significant cost to local authorities. The increasingly high proportion of spending on adult social care is crowding out spending on other services, such as fixing potholes, keeping libraries open and providing youth services, forcing many to provide only the bare minimum to residents. It is also preventing councils from reducing future demand for adult social care through investment in prevention activities. There is a growing disconnect between what is paid for and what residents expect to be delivered, risking an erosion of faith in democracy. There needs to be a more open public conversation about what is driving a reduction in council services and how adult social care contributes to that. (Conclusion, Paragraph 60)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees adult social care supports economic growth and highlights current efforts like the Employment Rights Bill and investment in digital tools, but it explicitly rejects developing a dedicated adult social care 'growth strategy'.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government · verbatim extract
Rejected
Baroness Casey has full autonomy to determine the commission’s priorities within its remit as set out in the terms of reference. We know, however, that a reformed local government finance system and greater stability for local authorities are crucial to support the provision of high-quality adult social care. That is why the government is committed to pursuing a comprehensive set of reforms for public services to fix the foundations of local government. This will be done in partnership with the sector and on the principle of giving forward notice and certainty to allow time for councils to plan for the future.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗