Select committee: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Conclusion 20
Second Report - Long-term funding of adult social care
Published 4 Aug 2022
Paragraph 86
Addressed to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee Long-term funding of adult social care All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The lack of information about how the reforms add up to £5.4 billion, why each reform was allocated the amount it was allocated, and how funding will be distributed, does little to instil confidence that the Government has thought through its plans. We have expressed our concerns numerous times about the unrealistic demands of requiring councils to compete for relatively small pots of funding, which larger and better funded authorities can win. The Government’s response to our report should include a full breakdown of how the £5.4 billion from the Health and Social Care Levy will be divided between the different reforms with a rationale for each amount, including why some amounts are “at least” and others are “up to”. It should also set out how each pot of funding will be distributed, avoiding using bids as a means of allocating grants as much as possible, and providing justification for any element of competition.
From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Second Report - Long-term funding of adult social care (HC 19), paragraph 86, 4 August 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 15 June 2023 (deadline 4 October 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government says it remains "fully committed" to the 10-year vision for adult social care and points to up to £7.5 billion of additional funding over two years, while declining some of the Committee's specific recommendations.
- On funding, it cites the Autumn Statement's "up to £7.5 billion" of additional funding over two years for adult social care and discharge, with up to £2.8 billion in 2023-24 and up to £4.7 billion in 2024-25.
- It says it "agree[s]" that market shaping should include a dedicated focus on outcomes-based commissioning, and it is investing in local authority commissioning capability.
- It declines to introduce statutory housing plan requirements ("We do not intend to introduce statutory requirements at this time") and has "no plans" for a review of carer's assessments or to lower visa salary thresholds.
- On a multi-year settlement, it says it "will aim to provide" one "wherever possible"; it will not proceed with the Review of Relative Needs and Resources during this Spending Review.