Response to local government settlement

Age UK comment on the local government settlement.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK and Co-Chair of the Care and Support Alliance said,

'The Government's decision not to invest extra funds in social care in the Settlement announced today means that we go into the Christmas break with real and mounting concern about what 2018 will bring for the millions of older and disabled people in need of care. The additional flexibility granted to councils to raise local taxes will not raise enough money to fill the growing funding gap, and what's worse the areas where the need for care is greatest are likely to benefit from this measure the least. That's because these are usually places of significant disadvantage where rates of disability are high but the tax base is low.

'The Government's decision to produce a Social Care Green Paper in summer 2018 is thoroughly welcome but no substitute for addressing the funding shortfalls that are hurting older and disabled people now. Without an urgent injection of cash we worry that more care providers and care workers will quit and that the search for good, affordable care will become even more desperate in many areas than it already is.'

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Age UK

We work with our national partners, Age Scotland, Age Cymru and Age NI and our local Age UK partners in England (together the Age UK Family). We also work internationally for people in later life as a member of the DEC and with our sister charity Help Age International.

Age UK believes that everyone should have the opportunity to make the most of later life, whatever their circumstances. We provide free information, advice and support to over six million people; commercial products and services to over one million customers; and research and campaign on the issues that matter to people in later life. Our work focuses on five key areas: money matters, health and well-being, home and care, work and training and leisure and lifestyle.

Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England (registered charity number 1128267 and company number 6825798). Age Concern England and Help the Aged (both registered charities), and their trading and other associated companies merged on the 1st April 2009. Together they have formed the Age UK Group ("we"). Charitable services are offered through Age UK and commercial products are offered by the Charity's trading companies, which donate their net profits to Age UK (the Charity).