The Isle of Wight council Cabinet member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Karl Love, is calling on central Government to understand that the crisis in funding and staffing of Adult Social Care (ASC) “is now and not tomorrow”.
Cllr Love told News OnTheWight,
“I find it quite shocking that despite the promise of more funding from our Prime Minister to support Adult Social Care, that I’m being forced by central Government cuts to local governments to cut my budget even further.
“After more than a decade of austerity cuts, we are still facing a very difficult future and in 2022/3 our administration will be forced to make yet more cuts because there is a shortfall of government grants.”
£1.763m cut to ASC
The cabinet member went on to add,
“In Adult Social Care we are trying to protect as much of our budget as we possibly can, particularly our frontline services, but there is a reality I cannot avoid as our Government reduces our Island council grants along with other local authorities in the UK.
“£3m of cuts to the Isle of Wight council and £1.763m projected cuts to Adult Social Care as a part of this.”
Love: “Crisis in funding and staffing is now, not tomorrow”
An article, highlighting Cllr Love’s concerns, will be appearing in the Local Government Association’s newsletter this month, which, he says, echoes the opinions of all rural local authorities across the UK.
Cllr Love explained,
“I will do my best to get more funding and this is why I brought forward a motion, fully supported by all, to receive a better funding deal for ASC.
“We are incredibly disappointed with the response from Government. Whilst looking at the bigger picture central Government have completely missed the point that our crisis in funding for ASC and staffing is now, not tomorrow.
“I am grateful to all the Isle of Wight councillors who support this motion and are working together. We can only hope that the voice of reason from many of the collective local authorities in the UK are positively engaged and a refocusing of funding is achieved.”
Image: Markus Winkler under CC BY 2.0
