Shropshire Star

Shropshire Council leader could take social care funding fight to PM

Shropshire Council leader Malcolm Pate says he will take his battle for extra adult social care funding to the Prime Minister if ministers fail to come up with a solution.

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Councillor Pate said he had met three government ministers in the past two weeks to discuss the crisis in adult social care funding.

The government is facing increasing pressure over funding for the service, with Surrey County Council this week calling off a referendum on increasing council tax by 15 per cent, amid accusations of a "sweetheart deal" from Jeremy Corbyn.

The claims have been denied by the government.

Councillor Pate has warned he expects to see ministers coming up with answers to the funding crisis which sees Shropshire's adult social care bill increasing by £8 million a year due to the county's ageing population.

Speaking at Shropshire Council's cabinet meeting he said: "I have met three ministers in the last two weeks where we are pressing firmly that we have to address elderly care and make sure we have the resources necessary to meet our statutory needs.

"I have to say the message we got back from ministers is that they agree with us from the look on their faces, but they say they have a three-year strategy and will not look at it until after that period.

"I did say to Marcus Jones (Minister for Local Government) that unless I get some satisfaction from ministers I will want a meeting with Theresa May."

Councillor Pate said that the council is not asking for the government to spend more money on adult social care, but instead that it alters the formula by which it is distributed.

He added: "I said to Marcus Jones a baby could see our argument, it is that simplistic and he did not disagree with me."

Councillor Pate also confirmed that the council would be recommending a council tax increase of 3.99 per cent for 2017/18 – 1.99 per cent as a general increase and 2 per cent to be spent on adult social care.

He said that the government proposal to allow a three per cent rise per year, for two years, solely to be spent on adult social care, would actually leave the council worse off, because no rise is permitted in the third year.

Currently councils are allowed to add two per cent onto council tax every year for adult social care.

Councillor Pate said: "It makes far more sense to raise it 2-2-2 rather than 3-3-0. That would cost us £184,000 over three years.

"I did tell the minister if you ever want to use the analogy of rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, then that was it."

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