Councillor warns of social care crisis as government green paper is delayed again

Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed

The council’s cabinet member for adult care has accused the government of ‘dither and delay’ over its continued failure to find a long-term funding solution for social care.

Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed spoke out after the Department for Health announced the publication of its green paper for reforming adult social care had been pushed back to the autumn.

It is the second time in just six months the long-awaited proposals have been shelved, drawing widespread criticism across local government.

Lord Porter, chairman of the Local Government Association, voiced his concerns saying the wellbeing of vulnerable adults and children was now at risk due to cuts to local authority budgets.

David Behan, head of the Care Quality Commission, warned that government cuts to English councils meant over a million people across the country were not receiving the social care they need.

Last December the government delayed the green paper, saying it needed more time to find a solution to the national £2.3 billion funding gap facing adult social care by 2020.

Now Whitehall officials have again postponed publication, promising the document will ensure social care is fully integrated with the recently announced NHS plan.

Councillor Ahmed said the wait was a kick in the teeth for Rochdale Borough Council, which has seen nearly £200 million of government cuts in the last eight years. He added: “This vital green paper would appear to be forever delayed. However, the issue will not go away and the government can’t keep running away from reality or expecting local council taxpayers to foot the bill alone. Its continued dither and delay is not helping the social care sector which has been starved of investment for far too long.

“We are managing to maintain high quality services in Rochdale thanks to good management, high-quality staff and sound decision making. However, we can’t swim against the tide forever and the government needs to act and act quickly before the social sector faces a major crisis.”