Theresa May pledges to seek long-term solution to social care squeeze
I tend to agree with Norman Lamb that the measures announced here amount to both a postcode lottery (based on those areas with the biggest tax base benefitting most) and that it really represents a sticking plaster on an issue which differentially assails rural authorities. The article tells us:
Theresa May has pledged to seek a “long-term solution” to the challenge of funding social care for older people, as she confirmed that local authorities would be allowed to bring forward increases in council tax to ease the pressures on the creaking system.
Challenged by Jeremy Corbyn on what he called the crisis in social care, May said her government would give councils more flexibility to raise more money in the short term – but would also seek a sustainable funding model.
“You cannot look at this question as simply being about money in the short term. If we’re going to give people the reassurance they need in the long term, it’s about finding a way forward that will give a sustainable solution for the future,” she said.
Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, is expected to announce on Thursday that local authorities will be allowed to increase council tax by up to 3% next year and the year after, with the money ringfenced to pay for social care.
The maximum increase had been 2% over each of the next three years, but councils will now be able to make upfront rises of 3% in each of the next two years.
Government sources were keen to stress that no further rises would be permitted – so the total increase in council tax over the three-year period would remain the same, at 6%.
Pressure has been mounting on Downing Street to tackle the demands on social care, since the chancellor, Philip Hammond, triggered a Tory revolt by failing to make more funding available at his autumn statement last month.