Council tax rises to pay for social care in 2016/17 will not bring in enough money to alleviate the growing pressure on the vital services caring for our elderly and disabled, the Local Government Association have warned. Commenting on the news Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Norman Lamb has said: ‘The Tories are set on a course that could have disastrous consequences for the elderly and other vulnerable people in society’.

Norman went on to say: “This is yet another stark warning that the growing crisis in social care cannot be tackled by local authorities alone.

“The Tories are set on a course that could have disastrous consequences for the elderly and other vulnerable people in society. My concern is that the poorer areas which have the greatest need for social care will be the least able to raise extra funds through council tax.

“This reinforces the case I have made for the Government to establish an independent cross-party Commission to deliver a new long-term settlement for the NHS and social care. We cannot continue to bury our heads in the sand and ignore the dire state of NHS and social care finances – the consequences of doing so will be too severe.”