‘Culture change, not just money, needed to tackle growing social care crisis’

RADICAL CHANGES of culture, including more multi-generational living and popular recognition of socially important jobs, will be needed to tackle the social care crisis, according to leading councillors in North Yorkshire.

Ahead of Government proposals to meet the nationwide challenge of funding adult social care, North Yorkshire County Council members warned money alone would not address issues created by spiralling costs and demand.

Despite numerous delays, a Green Paper is expected to be published before the end of the year to detail whether raising income tax or national insurance, charging a social care premium to the over-40s, means testing universal benefits such as winter fuel allowances or council tax hikes should be used to fund care.

The authority’s deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, said while the council was spending 43 per cent of its budget on adult social care and would welcome an extra source of funds, the solution lay partly with society.

He said: “It’s about culture and families working together and looking after their own. The Government can help in a variety of ways, such as tax breaks and incentives in the planning system so that we can have small annexes and enable more multi-generational living.

“It’s about that general culture shift because this day and age as families are out working, have a big mortgage and kids to drop off at school they are not finding time, because they have not been asked to do so, to look after the elderly generation.”