Whether or not the Lyons report in the long term can sort out the intractable challenge of funding remains to be seen, but it will certainly have little effect in the very short term. And just in the past few days we have seen some of the pressures on council budgets. For example, the recent survey by the DCLG into housing pressures recognises the inexorable rise in the number of single, elderly people, and the consequent pressures on housing demand. Yet the same DCLG appears not to see that rising numbers of elderly people also place huge and often unforeseen extra demands on social care services. This is the nub of the LGA's lobbying campaign over grant levels. There is a further twist with the ongoing row over NHS ‘cost shunting', whereby councils are picking up the cost of partnerships which have collapsed because of NHS budgetary problems. According to the LGA's latest survey, 40% of social services departments say the financial picture is worse than last year, while half say it will stay the same or get worse. The LGA points out bluntly that the public will have to accept prioritising of care, with resources going to the most in need, and less to those with lower levels of need. It will mean councils having to plan for ways of ensuring the latter have as much support to stay in their own homes. On that note, the new ‘Retirement village' about to be developed in Birmingham as a partnership between the city council and local trusts could well be the shape of things to come. With 260 affordable homes planned, 24-hour care for residents and a ‘village centre' to include leisure facilities, such Florida-style concepts may become the norm to ensure support for the lower-needs elderly. And it certainly fills the gap highlighted by the DCLG in its housing survey. The Government must recognise there is a crisis, and it requires joined-up action. The next prime minister ought to set up a separate department under a Cabinet minister just to address the challenges of an ageing population. After all, this impacts across government, covering housing, community safety, health, local government finance, benefits and pensions, employment, and needs a joined-up response. Michael Burton Editor, The MJ
