Title

KEY CITIES

Councils are at breaking point and social care should be made a priority

Ahead of the Autumn Budget, Key Cities portfolio holder for health and social care Cllr Mike Stonard says swift action from ministers is essential if the needs of vulnerable adults and young people are to be properly addressed.

(c) CandyRetriever / Shutterstock.com

With the Autumn Budget almost upon us, and senior leaders and MPs gathering for the National Children and Adult Services Conference, there has never been a better time to highlight the mounting fiscal and structural pressures on local authorities and their impact on the provision of adequate social care for adults and children.

Local authorities increasingly face impossible choices. A deepening fiscal crisis, coupled with soaring demand, is prompting local government leaders to warn that council tax will have to rise to cover the escalating costs of adult and children's social care. Add homelessness and the shortage of temporary accommodation, and budgets are pushed to the point of collapse.

Popular articles by Cllr Mike Stonard

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING

Get unlimited access to The MJ with a subscription, plus a weekly copy of The MJ magazine sent directly to you door and inbox.

Subscribe

Full website content includes additional, exclusive commentary and analysis on the issues affecting local government.

Login

Already a subscriber?