Jeremy Corbyn has written to the Prime Minister to ask for urgent talks on action to avert the deepening crisis in social care facing older people this Christmas.

In his letter to Theresa May, the Labour leader calls for “emergency top-up funding” to protect elderly and vulnerable people from a social care system that is breaking down from lack of support.

“After £4.6 billion of cuts to social care budgets since 2010, more than a million elderly people are not getting the care they need,” his letter states. “Social care is in a deepening crisis which threatens the wellbeing, dignity and lives of hundreds of thousands of older people.” 

In his letter the Labour leader proposes an urgent meeting “at the highest level” to discuss both emergency support for social care to tide services over until April and longer-term solutions to the funding and restructuring of social care provision.

“There is an opportunity to avert a crisis this winter”, the Labour leader says. “Will your government agree to take it?”

Ends

Notes to editors

Jeremy Corbyn MP letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, 16/12/2016

Dear Prime Minister, 

I am writing to request urgent talks at the highest level to agree urgent action to avert the deepening social care crisis facing many older people this Christmas.

The social care system is breaking down from lack of support. I hope you will be prepared to discuss both emergency support for social care to tide services over until April, as well as longer-term solutions to the funding and restructuring of social care provision.

After £4.6 billion of cuts to social care budgets since 2010, more than a million elderly people are not getting the care they need. Social care is in a crisis which threatens the wellbeing, dignity and lives of hundreds of thousands of older people.

The failure of your government, and that of your predecessor, properly to fund our social care system, has meant the burden has increasingly fallen on local authorities, which have themselves suffered heavy and continuous cuts.

Relying on the council tax to plug the shortfall will lead to a postcode lottery and shift the cost on to hard-pressed council taxpayers. The government must take responsibility.

In the sixth richest country in the world, it is a national disgrace that elderly and disabled people are being denied the dignity and care they so desperately need.

This is a question of priorities. Your government has chosen to cut corporation tax while over a million of Britain’s disabled and older people are being denied the care they deserve.

We can avert the crisis this winter while developing a sustainable solution that treats all of our disabled and older people with the dignity that they have earned.

There is an opportunity to avert a crisis this winter. Will your government agree to take it?

Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Corbyn