GMB poll is bad news for Hammond's budget
A majority of the British public support £2.6 billion extra funding for social care to plug a shortfall, according to a new poll, with one in six saying this should come from general taxation.
The polling by Survation for the GMB union, released today, finds 90 per cent of respondents said it was very important (49 per cent) or somewhat important (40 per cent) this week’s budget commit to the £2.6 billion.
Sixty-one per cent said this funding increase should be paid for by national taxation, compared with twenty per cent preferring local council taxes.
The survey also found 76 per cent believe social carers on £8.50 an hour are paid too little, 81 per cent say cuts to adult social care have piled pressure on the NHS, and 70 per cent backing a National Care Service to make standards the same across the country.
The results make uncomfortable reading for the government, with Chancellor Philip Hammond is expected to find an extra £1 billion for social care by raising national insurance for the self-employed and alcohol duty.
Rehana Azam, GMB National Secretary, said:
“There is widespread public support for adult social care to be properly funded by national, general taxation. The public recognise the scale of the crisis facing social care and that the buck stops at Downing Street.
The Prime Minister’s attempt to solve this problem through local council tax increases is a sticking plaster and we support councils that are doing what they can – but it is not a sustainable solution.
There is overwhelming public support for immediate government action in this week’s Budget to provide funds to plug the eye-watering £2.6 billion black hole in adult social care funding.”
See: Budget 2017: What to expect from Philip Hammond’s statement
3 Responses to “Majority of public backs £2.6 billion for social care – paid for with national taxes”
Budget 2017: What to expect from Philip Hammond's statement | Left Foot Forward
[…] polling from Survation shows that 90 per cent of people believe it’s ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat […]
patrick newman
The indifference of the current and last Tory regimes to the suffering of millions of elderly people and their carers is shocking. What we need in contrast are clear statements from Labour on the proper funding of social care that they support and they as a government will provide to councils so that services are restored.
Furthermore Labour must not continue to be terrorised by the deficit accusations coming from a government that has both cut taxes and spent generously on their favourite interests like the grammar school fund. Tory public finance is very Humpty Dumpty – dealing with the deficit means what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less!
Lawman
Some may, not unreasonably, say ‘What about the money?’ HMG must set priorities.
First: is care of the elderly and disabled a proper priority? Yes: it affects human beings and their quality of life. It will be relevant to almost all of us in time, and so the allocation is fair.
Secondly: where should the funding be raised. I suggest centrally given it is a nationwide matter, with no particular local bias. Local authorities could continue to distribute the money, but in a consistent manner.
Politically, this is a matter where Labour must take a strong lead. Most importantly because our philosophy is to care for people rather than let the devil take the hindmost. Tactically because this will be a popular vote winning policy, in contrast to the approach of treating humanity as minority groups to be set against each other.
I agree with Patrick Newman above.