Councils that rely most on unpaid carers will be able to raise the least from the social care council tax precept, new research is warning.
The research from the International Longevity Centre (ILC-UK) warns the future looks ‘bleak’ for older people needing care, with one in ten people over the age of 50 not having their care needs met.
Analysing local authority data, it found that councils with the highest concentration of older people and unpaid carers will bring in the least amount of money from the 2% council tax increase. The think tank warns this will have significant economic and social implications.
The end of formal adult social care also states that even if announcements made in the spending review raised £3.5bn for adult social care, this would only bring spending back to 2015 levels by the end of the parliament.
Ben Franklin, Head of Economics of an Ageing society at ILC-UK warned: ‘The social care settlement will be insufficient to meet the growing care needs of an ageing population and does little more than paper over the cracks which many of those who are in need of care are already falling through.
‘While some will be able to rely on family to support their needs, increased prevalence of unpaid caring may have adverse consequences for those providing support, for the economy as a whole due to reduced employment, and without additional investment may even lead to an erosion in the quality of care provided.’
