While adult social care  suffers, Government watches on

While the Brexit debate rages on and politicians spout inflammatory rhetoric across the English channel, somewhere in Central Government a paper indicating the future for our council’s provision of adult social care sits gathering dust.

Consecutive governments have failed to address the crisis in the care sector, which is only becoming tougher as the population ages.

But councils are unable to cope with current funding mechanisms, meaning some are on the verge of tipping over the edge financially.

Lincolnshire County Council has reassured that it can manage the next year on its budget, but needs a “long term sustainable solution” to continue in the years to come.

Executive director for care at the authority, Glenn Garrod, this week described the sector as being in a “parlous” state suffering from years of austerity.

Council officers across the country will have to find £500 million in savings for social care in the next financial year, he added.

Mr Garrod said the removal of vital funds from the adult care budget is continuing and measures to fund services need to be found.

Government is “struggling” with how to pay for the sector, he said, but added that a “simpler system” is needed that will work for all.

All of this uncertainty could be remedied by publishing the green paper on social care.

The paper will give a good indication of what direction the government is going in with its plans for adult care.

But the document has already been delayed four times to the frustration of the whole sector and Mr Garrod.

It’s now not expected to be revealed until the Spring, leaving another wait for councils to put financial plans together.

Brexit has brought a standstill to all domestic issues, not just social care.

But the crisis in social care makes every delay of the green paper feel like another blow to a problem that should have been solved years ago.

At some point in our lives we are all going to cross paths with the sector, whether it be finding care for our loved ones or for ourselves.

So continuing to delay a green paper on the issue, which may not even make the statute book if the measures are deemed unfit for purpose, is frustrating.

Instead, the government continues to wrestle with itself over Brexit and gets nowhere in the process. — CALVIN ROBINSON

Developments, Downtown and Divisions

In the 10 years I've worked as a local journalist, I’ve never envied those on planning committees.

Sometimes you get applications which cause such a divide in opinion you could come out of it in a bad way whatever happens. Plus, you have the added pressure that your answer must be supported by valid planning reasons meaning personal opinions alone won’t make changes.

Councillors in Grantham this week must have felt doubly under pressure.

In the morning they had Downtown's plans for a massive £125 million outlet centre - a huge economic investment and potential attraction to shoppers from all over versus pressure to keep the town centre vibrant.

In the afternoon they faced the public to decide on a statue of the first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher - a divide between promoting the town’s history, tourism and probably most famous figure of modern times against political hate, crime and disorder.

Whatever the panel's views, it was hard to argue with the fact both applications were able to put forward their mitigations effectively and were passed and later hailed by town leaders for the positives they will bring. — DANIEL JAINES

MEET THE LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTERS