Oral Answers to Questions

Tracy Brabin Excerpts

Monday 12th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Tracy Brabin (Batley and Spen) (Lab/Co-op)]

5. What assessment he has made of the adequacy of projected funding for adult social care until 2020.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Rishi Sunak)]

In addition to the spending review package, the Government provided a further £2 billion for adult social care at last year’s Budget and an additional £150 million in the most recent local government finance settlement. As a result, councils will be able to increase spending on adult social care in real terms each year until 2020.

[Tracy Brabin]

Kirklees Council spends 35% of its budget on adult social care. It has just raised its council tax by 6%, and half of that is ring-fenced to fund social care, but the council will still have to cut tens of millions in the years ahead. So, ahead of tomorrow’s spring statement, will the Minister tell us what he has done to secure more funding from the Treasury for social care to alleviate the pressure on councils such as Kirklees?

[Rishi Sunak]

In the most recent local government finance settlement, the Secretary of State listened to councils’ concerns and increased funding for adult social care by £150 million, with £26 million for Kirklees Council in particular. I recently met the Key Cities group, of which Kirklees is a member, to discuss its ideas for reforming the funding formula so as to adequately reflect the pressures faced by councils such as Kirklees.