Speech by Cllr. Zoé Patrick supporting motion on Dilnot proposals for social care (Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats)

Oxfordshire Liberal Democrats <info@oxfordshirelibdems.org.uk>

Speech by Cllr. Zoé Patrick supporting motion on Dilnot proposals for social care

December 18, 2011 7:59 PM
By Cllr. Zoé Patrick

I should like to support this motion before council today on the basis that this is a culmination of a lot of hard work on behalf of both the LGA where I am a member of the Community Wellbeing Board which has been following these proposals, and of our colleagues both in the House of Commons and the House of Lords to try and come up with reform which has been long waiting to happen. However, what is less clear is how this will be funded. There will be a debate no doubt as to whether this will be funded from general taxation or perhaps whether there should be some form of insurance to pay for it. However, the sooner the proposals are taken forward, the sooner that this uncertainty will be removed.

The three recommendations which are listed here in the motion are to be particularly welcomed, as we know that for instance the previous threshold that people were made to pay for their full care was only £23,000 which meant many older people having to sell the family home to pay for their care. At least the higher threshold will mean that this does not happen so quickly. Equally, capping individual contributions towards their social care costs at £35,000 is also a step in the right direction as these costs tend to increase as the elderly population grows. A national eligibility criteria is sensible as is the proposal for all those who enter adulthood with care and support that this should continue. Again, we know that people with disabilities are now living longer and fuller lives, and it is only right that their support is not taken away as they get older.

In short, I would hope that this will mean that the government can take forward these proposals and help us to reform a better care system for our elderly and vulnerable, and thus take some of the uncertainty out of the equation.