Social Care Precept Increases Won’t Benefit The Areas Which Need It Most.

Social care precept increases won’t benefit the areas which need it most.
Potential funding increases are ‘no-where near adequate’ to sustain adult social care.

New analysis conducted by economists at the International Longevity Centre – UK (ILC-UK) has found that a 3% social care precept wouldn’t benefit the local authorities which needed it most.

• • 3% precept in Tower Hamlets raises £160 for every person over the age of 65. This is despite the fact it has a very low proportion of older people (just 6% are over 65).
• • By contrast, West Somerset only brings in £53 per older person, despite having the highest proportion of older people in the country.

Raising the precept will be far more effective for some local authorities than others. ILC-UK analysis shows that a rise in the precept from 2 to 3% will bring in more money per older person for those local authorities where the older population accounts for a smaller overall proportion. In other words, those local authorities that need the money most, will bring in the least. This is
shown on the chart below (each dot represents a local authority).

Ben Franklin, Head of Economics at ILC-UK said: “Sadly, this announcement seems to be about spin not substance. Simply raising the precept will be no-where near adequate to meeting the care needs of the UK’s ageing population and will exacerbate the extreme post-code lottery that already exists for people trying to access care services. The promise that local authorities can keep the new homes bonus is a sticking plaster on top of a sticking plaster.
The sector faces significant short and long term pressures including meeting the new living wage and supporting an increasing number of older people with complex care needs. Yet, the level of funding does not reflect this. We urgently need a new settlement. The cracks cannot be papered over any longer.”