Norfolk's care sector gets £30 million boost
The current budget is around £344 million
Norfolk’s care sector has been warned of looming cuts, despite receiving an extra £30 million this year.
County Hall has agreed to an increase of almost 10% in funding for care homes and services which help people in their own homes.
However, Bill Borrett, the cabinet member for adult services, has warned that despite the increase, the authority will still need to find millions of pounds of savings in the sector.
The rise is the biggest year-on-year increase in history and underlines the immense pressures on the care sector as it copes with the demands of an ageing population and rising costs driven by inflation. The current budget is around £344 million.
At a cabinet meeting this week to discuss the rise, Mr Borrett said: “It is an increase on our spend to care providers of £30m which is an immense fee.”
The increase is being sourced from extra funding from the government and a rise in the social care precept – a council tax levy which goes towards funding social care.
Council savings
The council has already announced its intention to make a raft of savings, to close a gap of £60 million between its income and its spending. As part of this, £28 million is due to be cut from the adult social care budget.
Precise details of the savings are not yet known.
Norfolk County Council’s cabinet approved the increase.
Ahead of the meeting, bosses in the industry warned that the massive hike may still not be enough to resolve the care crisis, which has seen standards of care falling and worsened problems in the region’s NHS.
The council consulted care providers over the proposals and received 54 responses – with the “vast majority” saying the proposed uplift would be “insufficient to meet their costs”.
They warned that the rise meant they may have to close services – such as care homes or home care schemes – and withdraw care from council-funded individuals.
Labour has said the increase should be even greater, questioning if it was enough to beat inflation.