I strongly believe in the importance of ensuring that, as people grow older, they are always able to receive the dignified care they deserve. For this very reason, I am in full support of the Government's commitment in making sure this is a country that works for everyone and that the most vulnerable in society can access the support they need.
It is right that the Government recognises the current pressures facing local areas and is giving local authorities additional funding and flexibility. One such solution I am in full support of is the Government’s decision to allow greater flexibility over the use of the council tax social care precept on December 15, giving local authorities the option to raise extra money. Councils will now be allowed to raise the adult social care precept of council tax by up to three per cent in 2017/18 and 2018/19 in order to properly invest in care. If implemented, I am pleased to say that this solution will provide up to £208 million in 2017/18 and £444 million in 2018/19 in additional funding. Comparably, the average council tax bill will only increase by £1 a month, and it is important to note that bills will still be lower in 2019/20 than they were in 2010/11.
Further to this, I am encouraged by the Government’s decision to provide access to an additional £3.5 billion by 2020 exclusively for adult social care. Following calls for funding to address short-term pressures, around a further £900 million is now being made available to councils, including a new £240 million adult social care support grant for 2017-18. Combined with the previous precept flexibility, and the money coming through the improved Better Care Fund, I am pleased to say that this means that councils will have up to £7.6 billion in dedicated social care funding over the four years to 2019/20.
I recognise that money alone will not fix the problem, but I am confident in the Government’s ability to enact far-reaching reform encouraging high standards across the country. With this in mind, I very much look forward to viewing the Government’s Integration and Better Care Fund policy framework, which will soon be published, that includes information on resources, indicators for integration, and other best practice models for integration to help local areas. I personally recognise that, in addition to financial assistance, further improvements must require the creation of genuinely people-centred coordinated care through better integration between health and social care provisions. I have since been impressed with the knowledge that some councils are already doing so by providing high quality social care within their existing budgets. This demonstrates to me that reform can certainly be achieved. As I have since noticed that nearly half of all delayed discharges from hospital to home arise from just 24 local authorities, I call on the Government to first concentrate integration efforts on the communities that need it most.
I am meeting with Number 10 to discuss this in the coming weeks following a series of meetings with Bath and North East Somerset Council and local stakeholders.