Social care needs long-term funding solution says Allen Brett, Leader of the Council

Older peoples care needs long-term funding solution

​Over the last few months Rochdale has been at the forefront of the campaign to ensure adult social care is properly funded by the government.

And by properly funded, I mea​n a long-term solution, not just a short-term fix. We have thankfully seen some movement from the government, with two welcome cash injections for social care over recent weeks. The extra money will help and, thanks to excellent staff and innovative services, we will deliver important care services for thousands of residents this winter.

It also eases pressures on the social care system by preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and freeing up much needed beds. However, let's not get carried away. This was only a slow loosening of the spending levers from the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Much more needs to be done. The crisis is real and present. A recent estimate by the Local Government Association (LGA) suggested councils face a national annual funding gap of £3.5 billion by 2025. It is only the government who can bridge that gap.

It's not good enough to expect hard-up northern councils like Rochdale to stump up non-existent money or, worse still, increase council taxes even further for hardworking local taxpayers. Locally, we have seen nearly £200 million of government cuts to our budget in the last eight years, with much more to follow.

There might be one or two other issues distracting government thinking at the moment, but that shouldn't be an excuse for further delay. The time to act is now. That's why I welcome the work of my Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed. He has led the call for government action on this issue. A few steps in the right direction have been made over recent months.

Now it's time for a great leap forwards to ensure social care is  properly funded, not just for today but for generations to come. The campaign continues.