LGiU Response – Budget 2017
Dr Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of LGiU commented:
“The good news is that the Government has listened to the local government sector and made more money available for social care. It’s not nearly enough, of course, so the Government’s right that this is a short term measure and that we need more fundamental reform of care funding and delivery.
The bad news is that the focus of this additional money makes that reform harder.
Social care is not just about freeing up hospital beds, it’s about managing the overall well being of the people who live in a place. That connects with health care but also with housing, keeping people healthy, management of public space and local economies.
That’s why social care can only be delivered by local bodies not by national agencies.
So we need to fund local government to deliver social care but then we need to trust it to spend the money locally across the system in the ways that work best for that area. Micromanagement of how the money is spent will be expensive, ineffective and a step in the wrong direction.”
About LGiU
Our member’s only briefing on the Spring 2017 Budget is available here.
Further budget analysis Some answers more questions from Jonathan Carr-Weston available our blog.
The Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) is a think tank and membership body with over 200 councils and other organisations subscribing to our networks. We work to strengthen local democracy and put citizens in control of their own lives, communities and local services. For more information, visit lgiu.org.
