Responding to the Health Foundation’s report on one in five care workers living in poverty, Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Community Wellbeing Board said: “This report is incredibly troubling. Care workers were on the frontline of the pandemic response, their work requires commitment, compassion and skill and they deserve pay that reflects this.

“Low pay means care workers are having no choice but to leave the sector, creating vacancies and adding pressure to those still working in care, adding to the vicious cycle.

“Ensuring that care workers are paid fairly for their work is central to making a career in care affordable and appealing, as well as ensuring people who draw on care are best able to live an equal life.

“This is why we have called on the Prime Minister to deliver on her pledge to provide £13 billion to tackle the crisis in adult social care. Of this, £3 billion is needed to improve care worker pay and help recruit and retain staff.”

The cost of caring: poverty and deprivation among residential care workers in the UK