Cuts hit Lancashire budget for old people’s social care (From Lancashire Telegraph)
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Cuts hit Lancashire budget for old people’s social care
11:00pm Tuesday 31st January 2012 in Health
GOVERNMENT spending on older people’s social care has fallen £500million short, according to Age UK Lancashire.
The charity’s Care in Crisis 2012 report said that to maintain the same level of service as in 2010-11, the Coalition Government ought to be spending £7.8billion this year.
However, it said English councils had only budgeted £7.3billion due to central government funding cuts.
And it revealed that the combined impact of growing demand due to an increasing elderly population and a £341million reduction in older people’s social care budgets — a 4.5 per cent cut — had created a half billion pound shortfall.
Geraldine Moore, Age UK Lancashire’s chief officer, called on people to support its Care in Crisis campaign by signing up to a petition demanding urgent reform to the care system.
She said: “The funding of care was already woefully inadequate and the funding gap is bound to make things worse.
“It is wrong that people should be forced to sacrifice their savings and sell their homes to pay for the care they need.
“So often we see older people trying to cope without the help they need, meaning that their life often becomes an increasingly lonely and anxious struggle.
“Older people deserve to be treated with respect, with a transparent system where they can plan and prepare for care in advance.
“The reality is that cuts to social care spell misery for older people and those who care for them.”
To sign the petition visit www.ageuk.org.uk/careincrisis or go to your local Age UK office or shop.
Comments(4)
Jack Herer
says...
11:39am Thu 2 Feb 12
Izanears wrote:You are not wrong.
When they say we are in it together and cuts have to be made, it is worth remebering that our MP's who are on at least £65k a year have subsidised restaurants in Parliament. For every £10 they spend on food and drink, the taxpayer pays £7.60 of it.
Makes you think doesn't it.
Councils see fit to cut front line essential services, whilst those on £50,000 a year within them have increased hugely in the past year! What a total disgrace.
A huge proportion of council tax goes on these uneccessary, hugely overpaid management, whilst old people suffer.
Why aren't the unions campaigning against the fat cats in the councils?
No-one working for the council deserves more than £50,000 a year. £50,000 is a massive wage to most people. No way can any job in any council justify more than that. Normal people, outside of bubbles like the public sector and bankers, know how obscene these wages are for fat cat local council workers.
Those are the people costing money. MPs - those actually running the country rather than some town hall - are actually paid far less than many fat cats at local councils. Some fat cats in local councils are almost the highest paid public servants in the whole of Europe!
The wages for the fat cats at local councils cost the average person in the street lots and lots of money - hundreds of pounds, MPs wages are less than a penny to them.
That's the real disgrace. Funny how the unions don't mention it isn't it. That's because their leaders are fat cats themselves of course on hundreds of thousands of pounds a year!
Good call
says...
5:36pm Thu 2 Feb 12
Jack Herer wrote:It isn't the public sector which is screwing this country,it's the globalists and bankers.
Izanears wrote:You are not wrong.
When they say we are in it together and cuts have to be made, it is worth remebering that our MP's who are on at least £65k a year have subsidised restaurants in Parliament. For every £10 they spend on food and drink, the taxpayer pays £7.60 of it.
Makes you think doesn't it.
Councils see fit to cut front line essential services, whilst those on £50,000 a year within them have increased hugely in the past year! What a total disgrace.
A huge proportion of council tax goes on these uneccessary, hugely overpaid management, whilst old people suffer.
Why aren't the unions campaigning against the fat cats in the councils?
No-one working for the council deserves more than £50,000 a year. £50,000 is a massive wage to most people. No way can any job in any council justify more than that. Normal people, outside of bubbles like the public sector and bankers, know how obscene these wages are for fat cat local council workers.
Those are the people costing money. MPs - those actually running the country rather than some town hall - are actually paid far less than many fat cats at local councils. Some fat cats in local councils are almost the highest paid public servants in the whole of Europe!
The wages for the fat cats at local councils cost the average person in the street lots and lots of money - hundreds of pounds, MPs wages are less than a penny to them.
That's the real disgrace. Funny how the unions don't mention it isn't it. That's because their leaders are fat cats themselves of course on hundreds of thousands of pounds a year!
Ronnietate
says...
11:48pm Fri 3 Feb 12
Izanears says...
10:17am Wed 1 Feb 12
Makes you think doesn't it.