The Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that reduced funding to implement care reforms could force elderly and disabled people to sell their homes in order to pay for care. The warning is in light of Department of Health (DH) figures which indicate that the government has lowered its £5.6bn budget for councils by 12%.
In 2013, the government committed to provide £5.6bn to councils between April 2016 and March 2021 to implement the Care Act 2014 reforms, which come into force on 1 April 2015. The government has now reduced this five-year commitment by £650m. The LGA has expressed concern that local authorities could be left unable to deliver the government’s aim of protecting people from being forced to cash in their homes, warning the government that if the funding is not sufficient, additional money must be made available. The LGA has said that it is with the DH to understand the new figures, and the reasons for the reductions, in more detail.
