WIREDGOV

Cllr James Jamieson, Vice Chairman of the Local Government Association, responded to research by Which?, which says that only one in 10 adults aged 55 or over say they have put aside money to pay for any care needs as they get older

“Anyone may need social care and support at any stage of their lives, particularly as we grow older, but a lack of certainty of future funding of adult social care and the split of responsibilities between individuals and councils in who pays for it, is making this hard to financially plan for.

“Adult social care is at breaking point due to years of underfunding, rising demand and costs for care and support. There is an urgent need to bridge a £3.5 billion funding gap facing adult social care by 2025 just to maintain existing standards of care.

“Following the Government’s postponement of its long-awaited green paper on adult social care, the LGA has published its own green paper to drive forward the public debate on what sort of care and support we need to improve people’s wellbeing and independence and, crucially, how we fund these vital services.

“Anyone wishing to find out more about adult social care can be confident in receiving this information from councils which have a legal obligation to provide advice and guidance on this issue and there are many innovative services to help people make the right choice.”