Government begins consultation on social care

Perhaps we can get back to some sensible political debate after a weekend of ex political figures cashing in on their autobiographies.

Gordon Brown is set to launch a discussion on social care

According to BBC online

He says that without radical reform, the care system in England alone faces a £6bn shortfall within 20 years.

Brown will say

We know too many people fear the prospect of selling their homes and using assets which otherwise they would pass on to family members and friends [to pay for care in old age] ... We can, and must, look to give people the opportunity and the support to save for their old age in a way which insures them and protects their houses and their inheritance."

And Health secretary Alan Johnson has acknowledged that there is a massive funding gap in social care

the cost of maintaining the current, often inadequate level of personal care services was set to double to more than £24bn in 2026 as a result of rapid growth in the number of frail older people. Without new sources of funding, the government expects "a £6bn funding gap for social care" to emerge within 20 years.

The Independent meanwhile carries a report that the fightback is under way

Gordon Brown is preparing a string of initiatives to help parents, families and the low paid as he launches the Government's fightback against dismal poll ratings and a stream of damaging revelations by senior Labour figures.
Reforms in the areas of education, health and housing will form the centrepiece of the Government's draft Queen's Speech, expected later this week.