Council welcomes proposals for social care funding

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North Somerset Council leaders have welcomed the Government's announcement today (Tuesday 7 September) about additional funding for social care.

North Somerset has experienced growing demand for many years for all forms of adult social care across all age groups but funding has not kept pace with the demand.

Cllr Mike Bell, North Somerset Council's executive member with responsibility for adult services and health said the council had been trying for many years to do more with less money.

"The system has been unable to cope and I welcome the additional investment announced today. It's too early to know what the impacts of this will be for our local health and care system but it is certainly a step in the right direction, if not taking us the whole way there.

"According to the Local Government Association, councils face an adult social care funding gap of £2.2 billion in the current financial year, rising to £2.7 billion by 2023/24. This is just for core pressures, things like demography, inflation and National Living Wage increases. The provider market gap, that is the difference between what councils are able to pay and what care providers say the cost of their service is, is growing too.

"This does not take into account the cost of tackling many of the challenges facing social care, such as unmet and under-met needs, a lack of funding for prevention, an overstretched and undervalued workforce, and growing strain on unpaid carers."

The Social Care tax 1.25 percentage point increase will apply to National Insurance and dividend income from 2022 and will raise £12 billion a year. 

In 2023 it will become an additional tax on income.