Burnham doesn't rule out tax rises to fix social care
Andy Burnham promises to tackle England's social care crisis and refuses to rule out tax hikes, while bringing forward Baroness Casey's review.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Burnham refuses to rule out tax rises to fund social care reform
- Plans include a new national care service and better pay for workers
- Baroness Casey's social care review will be published next summer
Andy Burnham has pledged to end decades of government inaction by fixing adult social care in England, while refusing to rule out tax increases to help finance the overhaul. His proposals feature the creation of a new national care service, improved wages and enhanced training for care staff, and tighter integration with the National Health Service.
He announced that a comprehensive review of social care conducted by veteran Whitehall troubleshooter Baroness Casey will now be released next summer, moving it forward from the original 2028 timeline. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Burnham explained that he intends to extract greater efficiency from existing budgets to fund the reforms, specifically noting that his commitments to boosting pay and training for the workforce will be fully funded.
The funding model for adult social care in the UK has long been a complex challenge compared to the tax-funded NHS. In England and Northern Ireland, individuals with savings exceeding 23,250 pounds are ineligible for council-funded assistance with their care costs, leading to high out-of-pocket expenses and severe bed-blocking issues within acute NHS hospitals when elderly patients cannot be safely discharged.
In a bid to secure cross-party consensus, Burnham held discussions with Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey and Conservative shadow health secretary Stuart Andrew, though Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch was unavailable to attend. The Conservative Party has previously pressured the prime minister to explicitly rule out tax hikes or increased borrowing to pay for social care modifications.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Notably, Burnham did not invite the leaders of Reform UK or the Green Party of England and Wales to the talks, prompting expressions of disappointment from both political groups. Green Party social care spokesperson Ellie Chowns stated: "If Andy Burnham is serious about doing things differently and tackling the crisis in care, he must work collaboratively with the Greens and other parties to do so."
Highlighting the historical difficulty of the issue, Burnham pointed out that there have been 22 failed attempts to make progress on the matter over nearly 30 years. He also argued that adult social care should be administered locally by councils rather than being centralised in Whitehall. Rules regarding eligibility for social care vary across Wales and Scotland compared to England.
Source: BBC Politics
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