08 July 2005
Councils are unable to keep pace with the demands placed on their social care services despite their best efforts, local government leaders warned this week.
A report published on July 4 claimed that central government funding fell well short of need. Government provision for council spending last year was £800m less than the amount councils have had to find in order to meet their obligations.
The joint report, from the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Social Services, the Society of Municipal Treasurers and the Society of County Treasurers, said councils were working hard to generate efficiencies to cover the gap but could not keep up with demands.
David Rogers, chair of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said: 'At current levels councils must either tighten eligibility criteria or increase council tax.
'Councils face real difficulties in shifting resources from over-pressured intensive services to preventative ones, where the payoff can be large but is not immediate.'
He added that no matter how effectively budgets are managed, 'local authorities quite simply need more investment from central government to make this important long-term transition'.
Tony Hunter, ADSS president, said the strong focus on better outcomes detailed in the social care green paper was welcome, but was not a cheap option.
Hunter's view was echoed last week in a report from health think-tank the King's Fund which concluded that the reform of social care set out in the green paper would be unachievable if funding levels remained unchanged.
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