A LibDem Perspective: Who Cares?

In a social democracy we are supposed to look out for those who need help, particularly the aged or infirm, but the obsession with the ‘inherited £22bn black hole’ is driving the Government to make the sort of ill-judged decisions for which they castigated the Coalition’s austerity measures.

Each winter there are around 35,000 ‘excess winter deaths’, many of them due to cold-related causes. Removing WFA from anyone not receiving pension credits has, by the Government’s own estimates put another 50,000 people into relative poverty. In Rother our officers have been working hard to identify and help those eligible for pension credits but not claiming them. However the refusal to consider any graduated approach results in people only just outside pension credit criteria being hardest hit. No consideration was given to alternatives such as linking eligibility criteria to Council Tax bands or making WFA taxable. I am totally opposed to withdrawal of WFA from so many who relied on it but fully acknowledge that many previous recipients did not need it- indeed many passed it on to charities. A more considered approach was surely appropriate.

Meanwhile, the Budget has failed to address the problems afflicting the care sector. Around 70% of local authority spending goes to adult and children’s social care and 80% of local authorities are already on course to overspend their social care budgets this year. Failure to exclude social care from the increases in employers’ national insurance (ENIC), together with the impact of the (much needed) increase in minimum wage, will cost the already over-stretched care sector an extra £2.8bn next year. Lowering the ENIC threshold to £5,000 will hit the care sector hardest of all as carers are already among the lowest paid and many only work part time. Some extra support has been promised but it will not cover the extra costs for this already dangerously over-stretched sector.

There are an estimated 131,000 vacancies in the care sector. This is a consequence of low pay, lack of career progression, lack of standardised training or qualifications, but also the increased restrictions on overseas recruits bringing dependents. As well as the challenges provided by our ageing population, more 18-65 year olds are needing long term care support and account for almost half of adult care costs. Carer shortages add to the bed-blocking issues underlying much of the pressure on our hospitals.

The Government makes much of its support for the NHS. But until or unless they show greater understanding of and support for the care sector many of our most vulnerable citizens will be left out in the cold.

Cllr Kathryn Field