THE announcement in the Spring Budget of an extra £2 billion for social care over the next three years is very welcome but we have no details yet if, or how, Brighton and Hove might benefit.

And overall it doesn’t go anywhere near making up for the £4.6 billion that has been cut from social care in the last parliament.

As the Kings Fund says, we need at least a £2 billion injection now to stabilise social care, not £2 billion spread over three years.

Chancellor Philip Hammond chose to focus on much-needed elderly care and delayed discharge from hospital with a gesture towards the sustainability transformation plans but he failed to address the crisis facing other crucial areas of social care.

Let’s take adult social care as an example.

What about our younger adults with physical disabilities, people with learning disabilities, our unpaid carers and the very fragile care market that supports our residents?

What about the need to invest in modernising local authority systems and adjusting staff resources to cope with increased demand, new responsibilities under the Care Act and more complex packages of care?

All of our 4,000 residents receiving care packages right now deserved to be acknowledged in the Spring Budget as did the thousands more who receive assistance to stay independent through our excellent community services.

An average care package costs the council £244 per week.

  • Cllr Karen Barford is lead member for Adult Social Care at Brighton and Hove City Council