We welcome funding into local government announced in the Autumn Budget alongside attempts by government to take direct measures to increase spending on social care, but the proposed reforms mean that we may have to wait a significant number of years before earmarked spending goes towards social care and not the wider NHS.

A National Insurance rise means care workers will see their salaries drop in real terms at the same time that social care providers are more likely to go out of business. When this happens, local authorities must fill any gaps to ensure our residents do not go without care. This create a vicious cycle of underfunding that local authorities cannot viably correct in the long term.

This will not only affect vulnerable people requiring care and staff working in the sector but also will have a damaging impact on local economies due to increased staffing costs leading to more staff being let go and reduced spending by individuals in work.