Member News
17th December 2010
Cuts to welfare and local authority budgets will make 2011 a difficult year for the social care sector, but they can't afford to be pessimistic, says Su Sayer, chief executive of United Response.
From the very start, 2010 looked likely to be a politically tumultuous year, with the general election looming and Labour down in the polls, but few would have predicted just how fast the pace of change would be.
It might have been expected that the coalition government would proceed slowly and cautiously, given the differences between Liberal Democrats and Conservatives, but instead it has been furiously energetic; barely a week has gone by without some new initiative, reform or legislation to absorb. That has certainly been true for those of us in the social care sector, who will see our work enormously affected by welfare reform, NHS restructuring, cuts to local authority budgets, and the new social care vision, as well as broader policies like the rise in VAT.
After the election itself the most crucial day was, of course, October 20, and the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), announced in the context of the very difficult economic situation. While the CSR contained some good news for people who require care or support – such as the announced £2bn in extra funding for social care, although this was not ring-fenced – there were major sources of concern. The most worrying were the huge cuts to local authority budgets, given the crucial role local authorities play in funding essential services for vulnerable people in the community. The proposed cuts to welfare budgets also seem likely to impact disproportionately on people with disabilities, particularly the controversial shake-up of the Disability Living Allowance.
As a result of this situation and the looming local authority funding cuts, it would be easy to be pessimistic about the future, but the social care sector can't afford this luxury. Pessimism can lead to inaction, and we need to keep working hard on behalf of people who need support. We need to win the argument over those spending cuts we feel will unfairly land on the shoulders of vulnerable people, such as the cut to the mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance for those living in residential care. We will certainly need to work with local authorities on finding the most creative and efficient ways of delivering services, so that cuts to budgets don't damage people's lives.
Most importantly, we need to recognise the best of the new policies, and make the most of them. The concept of the Big Society has had a mixed reception, but if its principles can be applied to help to energise local communities, government and the voluntary sector into working together on projects and initiatives that create a fairer country, then we have a duty to seize that opportunity in 2011.
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