Political row breaks out over funding Personal Care at Home Bill

2010-03-15 16:00:15

The Conservative party has described England's councils as 'furious' that the government expects them to pay £250 million towards funding Gordon Brown's Personal Care at Home Bill. During a Question Time exchange on 9 March, Shadow Communities Secretary Caroline Spelman stated that it was unrealistic of Labour to expect local authorities to carry this financial burden. Council leaders have already raised doubts about their ability to meet the costs of the Bill, due to the increasing pressure on their budgets and widespread cuts in public spending. Communities Secretary John Denham defended Labour's strategy, commenting: 'It is a massive vote of confidence in the ability of local government to deliver this policy and I believe that the savings local government is being asked to make can be done.' You can watch a recording of the Question Time debate at the BBC website.

The Personal Care at Home Bill is estimated to cost £670m, of which the remaining £420m will be provided by the Department of Health. However, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has warned that in reality, it could cost twice that amount. The Bill aims to provide free home care to around 400,000 elderly people with the most pressing care needs, regardless of their means.