Meeting documents

The Chairman advised that a Motion to Council: Sustainability of Adult Social Care had been received from Mr Tett.

Mr Tett proposed the motion and made the following main points:

• The strain on Adult Social Care (ASC) not only affected the County Council but also families.
• It would normally be associated with the elderly but ASC can affect anyone of adult age and was the responsibility of the County Council to deliver.
• ASC was the biggest area of tax payers money spent, a total of £170m and with an increasing pressure it was impacting budgets for all local authorities
• Central Government lobbying had been carried out with various responses from governments, with every Political Party playing politics. 
• The release of the Government Green Paper has been repeated delayed and Mr Tett stated that the debate to follow was not to find a solution but to highlight the importance and criticality of the Green Paper being published. 
• Credit was given to the Local Government Association (LGA) and the County Council Network (CCN) for excellent lobbying on the ASC topic and the LGA’s own Green Paper that had been published.

Council received a presentation from Mrs S Pickup, Deputy Chief Executive of the Local Government Association (LGA).  Appended to the minutes.

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Lambert, highlighted the following points:

• Mr Lambert supported the Motion
• The crisis in ASC was well known and he welcomed it being highlighted at County Council
• The cost to Buckinghamshire County Council was higher than in other counties due to demographics
• Working together to put pressure on the Health and Adult Social Care Minister was really important
• The importance of communicating with all ethnic groups

The Chairman invited Members to debate the motion and the following main points were made:

·         There had been £25bn funding for the NHS while a gap of £7.8bn remained in ASC

·         Fastest growing sector in the UK was older people, with the Over 80s having increased by 44% over the last decade.

·         Care homes creasing to trade was having an impact and this was exacerbated in Buckinghamshire due to the high cost of living

·         The importance of supporting residents in order for them to stay in their own homes for longer

·         Providers were under strain which could endanger and put at risk the quality of care provided.

·         The need for the Green Paper to set out how specifically how carers would be supported.

·         Council Tax was a poor base as this varied across the County and Buckinghamshire were penalised by the fair funding distribution.

·         First Tier authorities could not be the long term funding solution and that non statutory services would have to be stopped if it were to carry on with the current trajectory.

·         The need to raise public awareness regarding funding for ASC, for example that it is not funded by the NHS.

·         The importance of Communities and the part they play in supporting those within their local community along with the voluntary sector.

·         The need to be innovative within the Council’s existing resources.

Lin Hazel seconded the Motion and highlighted the following:

• There was cross party support for the Motion
• The LGA had done lots of work in publishing their Green Paper and the next steps along with the LGA would be to go back to Central Government for a direction of travel.
• Delay in the publication of the Central Government Green Paper was costing money and local authorities were required to set their budgets.

Mr Tett thanked Mrs Pickup for her excellent presentation and that comments from Members would be noted and a letter drafted to submit to Central Government.  Mr Tett commended the Motion to Council.

The Chairman put forward the following Motion to Council:

The Council resolves to request that the Cabinet Member writes to Government setting out the views of this Council and urging Government as a matter of priority to:

·         Publish the Green Paper on Adult Social Care

·         Include a range of credible options for improving the resourcing of the sector, and

·         Acknowledging the unique and invaluable position of local government in delivering social care in delivering social care in partnership with the NHS"

RESOLVED:The proposed Motion voted upon by a show of hands. This was carried unanimously.