Hft urges local Councillors to support their call for a 5% annual uplift in learning disability funding
Hft, a national charity that supports adults with learning disabilities, is appealing to councillors to join them in calling on the government to adequately fund learning disability social care, and help the sector meet future demands.
With 151 local authorities across England going to the polls on May 3rd, Hft is urging councillors to support their #GiveMe5 campaign, which calls for a commitment to a 5% annual uplift in funding for learning disability support.
Through the campaign, Hft seeks to raise awareness of financial pressures faced by both local authorities and social care providers, which have arisen through a combination of central government cuts to local authority budgets and unfunded increases in operational costs, such as uplifts in the National Living Wage and the Apprenticeship Levy.
Councillors are invited to show their support for Hft’s proposals by using the hashtag #GiveMe5 on social media and write to their local MPs to raise awareness of these issues.
Billy Davis, Public Affairs and Policy Manager at Hft, commented: “These are the final local elections before the government’s Green Paper on the future funding of social care so, now more than ever, councillors need to make Westminster aware of the challenges local authorities face when commissioning adult social care.
Since 2010, we have seen continued central government funding cuts to local authorities, which has in turn meant reduced fees for commissioning social care. Our latest Sector Pulse Check revealed that the number of providers in the sector now reporting as running at a deficit due to cuts has more than trebled, from 11% in 2016 to 34% in 2017.
This is a national problem which requires a national solution. We believe that it is up to the Government, rather than local authorities, to fund social care, and help support some of the most vulnerable adults in society. Our research shows that, in order to keep up with future demand, central government will need to commit to an annual uplift in funding of at least 5%.
Ahead of the elections on May 3rd, we urge councillors to join our #GiveMe5 campaign and call on Westminster to ensure that learning disability social care receives the funding that it needs.”
For more information, please visit www.hft.org.uk/shortfall.
