Fixing social care to break the council funding crisis

Social care is the elephant in the room when it comes to these local elections - no other parties are talking about it.

But spending on it by local authorities reached a record £29.3bn in 2024/25, up by £12.4bn since 2015/16. Consuming as much as 80% of some council budgets, many have been forced to cut back on other vital services.

On a visit to a care home in Wokingham this week, Ed Davey called for more Government investment to ease the financial pressure on councils, address staff shortages, and ensure people receive the care they need. This would also help alleviate the pressure on A&E and hospitals, by helping patients leave sooner and be cared for in the community.

The Government must also finish its commission on social care this year, and it must be personally led by the Prime Minister.

You can read about our policy to tackle the local government finance emergency and social care crisis, passed at Spring Conference, here:Local Government Finance Emergency - Liberal Democrats