The Budget delivered by the Chancellor yesterday has left adult social care out in the cold.
There was no mention of our vital sector in the speech itself, or even in the red book details. The Chancellor announced much needed digital investment in the NHS and children’s services, but nothing at all for adult social care.
We have no argument with increases to the minimum wage; we have always said that our care workers need to be paid more, and these rises are fair and reasonable, particularly as tax thresholds have been frozen. But for these pay rises to be sustainable it is vital that local authorities are in a position to reflect this in their fees for 2026/27. This means more money for adult care from central government.
The so-called Mansion Tax will likely have little impact in Lincolnshire, where property prices are lower than the national average, and it’s worrying that even these revenues will go to central government rather than being available to spend locally. Taxes on the wealthy such as this may only make the burden of paying for social care worse as self-funders run out of money.
Overall, this Budget feels like an exercise in tinkering round the edges rather than addressing the problem. The adult social care sector is at a financial breaking point, and yet this opportunity to ease our funding challenges has been missed. It seems that the government is content to wait for Baroness Casey’s review before it takes action.
