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Health secretary Andy Burnham will meet councillors and officials in a bid to drum up support for his plans to change older people's services. He will meet office holders and group leaders to discuss the long-awaited Green Paper published earlier this summer which called for a national insurance scheme and changes to the way services are provided by councils. Concern had been rising by DoH officials and members of the ministerial team that councils has not engaged on the consultation, called the ‘Big Care Debate', which runs until the autumn. Sources close to Mr Burnham had questioned whether it was a political move by Conservative opponents at local level. Councils had already been urged by the DoH leader on social care and former Greenwich LBC director of social services, David Behan, who urged councils to ‘step up to the plate' in the debate on how the public sector will meet the demand – and stratospheric costs – of providing care for older people. ‘These are issues which are not going to go away, irrespective of the next election,' Mr Behan told The MJ (2 September). But an LGA official involved with the meeting told The MJ that hopes of a single response from councils was unlikely, purely because local authorities have different approaches and have organised care in different ways. ‘You are not going to get any two councils agreeing on a way forward. ‘It is not deliberate; it is simply that local government wants to offer local solutions.' Claims of a rift were also dismissed: ‘There has been no formal decision – and certainly no diktat – not to get involved in the consultation. We are working with directors of social services on a response due in October and encouraging councils to respond to this important debate.'

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Services for older people set for fresh spotlight

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