Telford 'could lose £2.5 million in funding for adult social care'

Telford & Wrekin Council said its adult social care funding share for adults under 65 could fall by more than 11 per cent from April next year.

Councillors were reacting to analysis by the Labour group of the Local Government Association (LGA), which said that councils in deprived areas like Telford, the Black Country and the North East could lose millions in funding.

Under the LGA's analysis, neighbouring Shropshire Council would benefit from a rise of £2.5 million in its funding.

Councillor Lee Carter, cabinet member for finance, said: "The LGA’s research is deeply worrying for councils like us who are already having to greatly increasing funding for social care after years of continuous cuts.

“The LGA have modelled just one aspect of the new system which includes many other changes. There has been a dearth of information from the Government on the details and impacts of these new proposals, which were due to come in to effect from April 2020 but have only recently slipped to April 2021.

Impacts

“Yet at the same time the Government seems intent on pulling the rug from under us and our residents.

“If this funding review goes ahead, the impacts on us would be great and could be an extra £2.5 million a year cut to our funding from Government for social care. Spending on social care for adults and children accounts for two thirds of every £1 we spend.

“I will be urging our two MPs to work together with us and push the case for fair funding for the borough and proper funding for social care that reflects our needs rather than shifting resources away to more affluent areas of the country.”

The LGA's analysis says Shropshire Council would benefit from a rise of £2.5m in its funding, or 3.47 per cent.

But the Government's Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the figures were "speculation" and urged local councils not to "pay any heed to them".

His fellow Cabinet Minister Gavin Williamson has also questioned the data and called it "scaremongering".

The Education Secretary said: "The Prime Minister has brought in a whole agenda about levelling up across the country, and it is disappointing to see these elements of scaremongering going on."