LABOUR and Lib-Dem Cllrs. in Warrington have joined forces calling for the Government to fix the social care crisis.
In a Motion at Warrington Borough Council Full Council last Monday, Labour’s Councillor Janet Henshaw (Great Sankey North and Whittle Hall) seconded by Councillor Siobhan Hall (Westbrook), called upon the Leader to write again to the relevant Minister and to both of Warrington’s MPs to set out the Council’s concerns and ask them to push the Government for an immediate fair, sustainable and fully funded social care system in Warrington that includes;
1) Proper long-term investment in social care to support growth that will make the sector sustainable
2) Valuing and developing our essential social care workforce
3) Increasing the availability and access to high-quality prevention and re-ablement services
4) Providing better support for our many unpaid family carers
The Motion, supported by Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors stated that these actions are essential to fix the crisis in social care “once and for all” and for creating the conditions in which social care is a full and equal partner with the NHS. These actions will also help people to remain independent, support our most vulnerable citizens when they need help the most, and help them to deliver the high quality, personalised care they each have a right to expect.
Commenting on her Motion Cllr. Henshaw said “any new funding for health and social care is welcome, but the NHS will take the majority of the levy, and this will leave only £5.3 billion for social care over three years. This is woefully short of the £8 to £10 billion required. Most concerningly, there is no guarantee that social care will receive any more funding in 2023 as future reductions in NHS funding are unlikely”
She added: “Social care was in real difficulties before the pandemic and need fundamental reform over ten years ago. It is now in deep crisis. How this so called “fix” makes social care an equal partner with the NHS is beyond me! The people of Warrington will continue to be saddled with funding social care in our town because the costs of social care are met through council tax or by individuals themselves if they are ineligible for local authority support.
The National Insurance (NI) changes that the Government is imposing to pay for this “fix” will also hit those least able to pay the hardest, especially the young and poorly paid. This is how this heartless Government is repaying the many essential workers, including carers, who have worked so hard during the pandemic. These regressive tax changes, voted for by the MP for Warrington South, mean that care workers on the minimum wage will be worse off and many will also lose the uplift in Universal Credit next month. Vulnerable residents in need of social care deserve far better and local workers already under financial strain should not have the bear the brunt of these additional costs.
The Health and Social care levy is nothing more than another broken promise of this cruel Tory government; a regressive tax that places a greater burden on the working poor. It does not even begin to fix social care bit it means our care workers who deserve a pay rise are expected to foot the bill through NI increases.
Boris Johnson promised to fix social care when first elected two years ago. Yet it is clear there is still no long term solution. His government has kicked the can down the road for another three years by opting initially to focus on the NHS.
In truth the NI hike will not provide and new funding to protect the most vulnerable in Warrington at a time of increas8ing demand. The reality is that there never was the promised plan to fix social care and there is no plan with this announcement. This is a cruel Tory Government of broken promises – and it is Warrington’s Council taxpayers who will fund the increasing needs of our most vulnerable residents.”
Liberal Democrats have also criticised the government for their uncaring attitude to both social care and universal credit.
At the Council meeting, they spoke in support of two Labour motions that called for letters to be sent to our MPs and Government Ministers asking for more support for needy Warrington residents.
Cllr Ian Marks said, “The Government’s recent announcements about extra funding for health and social care may be a step in the right direction but in no way solves the crisis ‘once and for all’ as the Prime Minister had promised. Of the £12billion a year, only £1.8billion will go to social care. The NHS needs money but we know it is a bottomless pit. The Conservative Chairman of the Local Government Association has said the plan makes the situation worse. An assessment for the Treasury states the increase in National Insurance could result in family breakdown and deter companies from hiring new staff and increasing wages. Liberal Democrats believe an increase in Income Tax would have been much fairer.
It is almost inevitable that the Council Tax precept will have to rise again next year to pay for social care. There are 120,000 vacancies for care workers and many are leaving for better paid and less stressful jobs in supermarkets or delivery firms. The refusal by some care workers to be jabbed will add to the pressure on care companies and our own social services department. Unpaid care workers are under intense pressure too and must not be forgotten.”
Cllr Judith Wheeler added, “Cutting the Universal Credit uplift by £20 a week will affect five million families who struggle with the cost of living. This cut comes at a time when furlough is ending, inflation is increasing and energy prices are rising dramatically. This decision shows a lack of understanding by the government about the impact on claimants. Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has shown that over 16,000 families in Warrington could be pushed into poverty by losing this lifeline. Do we really want to increase the stress and anxiety and reduce the standard of living of many Warrington families by removing this vital safety net?”
