A lack of funding could jeopardise government plans to cap the amount people towards social care costs, according to a stark warning from council leaders.
The research from the Local Government Association (LGA) shows that nine out of ten councils believe inadequate funding could see the radical adult social care reforms fail.
The Care Act aims to give people more control over their own care and limit the amount people will pay towards the support they need. However, the new survey shows that 134 out of the 152 councils surveyed said they are concerned about the cost of making the changes to services.
Councils also warned there is insufficient evidence of how many people who are paying for their own care at the moment will request an assessment under the system to limit their care costs.
Cllr Katie Hall, chair of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: ‘We have recognised the importance of these reforms since before the Care Bill was first introduced. It would be an absolute tragedy if insufficient funding jeopardised these desperately needed changes.
‘In recent years, local government has worked tirelessly to save billions while protecting services for those who need them most, but we already know that the next two years will be make or break for adult social care.
‘This additional pressure for adult social care is coming to councils at a time when local authority budgets are already under extreme pressure.’
Age UK said the reforms to the social care system could make a real difference if ‘properly implemented’ but there must be sufficient funding in place. Caroline Abrahams, Age UK’s charity director, said: ‘These figures underline how truly desperate the situation is. Local authorities are struggling to provide services with the extensive cuts to budgets.
‘There needs to be a frank and honest debate around the funding of care and who will have to pay for what. The Government needs to give people a realistic idea of what they can expect to be paying for in the future.’
The LGA has written to health minister Norman Lamb calling for the government to plug any funding shortfall.
