Briefings and responses

COVID-19 has put adult social care firmly in the public, political and media spotlight. This emergency has highlighted the essential value of social care to the wider public and this interest needs to be harnessed in the debate about the future of care and support. Long-term reform is urgently needed and we are calling on the Government to set out its thinking before the summer recess.

The LGA broadly supports the Bill’s focus on improving the health and wellbeing of the population and the duty of bodies to have regard to this in making decisions.

Over the past decade, adult social care cost pressures have increased by £8.5 billion and total funding has increased by £2.4 billion. This has meant a gap of £6.1 billion needed to be managed.

Supporting people with dementia is not just a health and social care issue. Achieving dementia friendly communities is the responsibility of many council departments, all of which are financially stretched.

LGA submission

Government has published updated care home visiting guidance, applicable from 17 May 2021 in all care homes for working age and older adults.

This page summarises the Local Government Association (LGA) positions, priorities and concerns on the wide-ranging proposals in the white paper.

From 1 June 2021 the LeDer process is changing.

The response to, and recovery from, an emergency is carried out first and foremost at the local level. Better coordination between the local, regional and national levels of response and greater support for organisations involved in response planning is needed to share and apply learning from exercises and real-life events.

Local government’s delivery of public services during the response to COVID-19 demonstrates the value of place-based leadership.