Bedford Borough Council’s Conservative Leader has welcomed a £4.6m injection of cash to support adult social care.
In January, Cllr Stephen Moon urged his party colleagues in Government to stop using councils as a ‘soft target’ for cuts which, coupled with increased demand, risked ‘dangerously inadequate levels of support, care and service that will lead to greater pressure on GPs and hospitals.’
Following a campaign fronted by the Conservative-led Local Government Association (LGA), MPs and councillors, the Government has at last acknowledged the need to support social care, with the Chancellor agreeing £2bn of new funding for councils over the next 3 years.
The Government will also undertake a review later in the year on putting social care funding on a long-term, sustainable footing.
Reacting to the news, Cllr Moon said:
‘The Government, to its credit, has been flexible in its spending plans by heeding the calls of Conservative councillors and MPs in providing a much-needed cash boost for social care.
‘The Borough will receive £4.6m over the next 3 years which will help us tackle unprecedented social care demand and allow us to provide appropriate support for vulnerable people. It will also go a long way towards easing, in the short term, pressures on GP and hospital services. More needs to be done, but this is real progress.’