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Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, responding to a new report by the Care Quality Commission on adult social care services

“Councils aspire to ensuring people receive safe and high quality care, and it is encouraging that the majority of care provided for adults is rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, particularly given the scale of funding pressures facing the sector.

“But to maintain this level and improve performance where it is required, it is absolutely essential that councils have the funding they need to carry out their duties. Even with the additional £2 billion for social care announced in the Spring Budget, councils still face an annual funding gap of £2.3 billion by 2020.

“Equally, councils need the freedom and flexibility to invest resources in the areas where they feel necessary and where pressures are most severe. The sudden, last minute changes to how the additional £2 billion funding must be spent shows this freedom is very much lacking.

“As the CQC has previously warned, adult social care is approaching a tipping point. It desperately needs a long-term sustainable funding solution, and this report is further evidence of the urgent need for the Government to bring forward its consultation announced in the Queen’s Speech.”

View report:  Most services meet the ‘Mum Test’ but there is still too much poor care, finds CQC