Andy Burnham will use a speech on Wednesday to set out his strategy for DHSC social care income tax plans and to press ahead with faster work on the Louise Casey review. He is also expected to back the launch of the Big Conversation on Care, which will take public views online on adult social care in England.
The speech comes as social care remains a long-running funding crisis, with any new system likely to need extra investment over time. Burnham has said: “We need a different kind of politics: problem-solving, not point-scoring. Nowhere is that more urgent than social care.”
Louise Casey and Wednesday
Louise Casey will launch the Big Conversation on Care on Wednesday through an online platform for public views. The exercise is meant to gather views on the future of adult social care in England, while Burnham’s speech is expected to spell out how the independent review she leads will be accelerated.
Burnham is understood to be committed to exploring a new system that would be free at the point of use. He regards a care costs cap as less attractive, even though it would be significantly cheaper for the taxpayer. A middle-ground option would be a model similar to Scotland’s, under which personal care costs are paid by the state but accommodation and food in care homes are paid by individuals and their families.
Kemi Badenoch and Ed Davey
The prime minister invited Kemi Badenoch and Ed Davey to discuss how to fix social care. The Conservatives said they would send Stuart Andrew in Kemi Badenoch’s place because she was having pre-planned minor surgery, while Davey said he would attend via video call.
Burnham also said: “For decades, governments have kicked this issue down the road because they’ve seen it as too risky, too difficult and too complicated.” He added: “Politicians might have different views but I’m serious about fixing this issue, and to do that we have to find common ground and listen to others to find a way forward.”
Taxation and Labour MPs
Any option the government pursues is likely to require significant extra investment over the long term, and that money would most likely come through increases in taxation. When Burnham first proposed a universal system of social care under Gordon Brown, he suggested replacing inheritance tax with a 10% levy on all estates.
At the weekend, he did not rule out that inheritance tax replacement option, which could raise as much as £18bn. Several Labour MPs have expressed concern about how to manage the financial burden of a reformed care sector, while the Conservatives have imposed their own red lines.
Burnham’s final warning was direct: “It’s time to draw a line under people playing politics when the human cost of that means carers struggling, families paying the price and our NHS buckling under the strain.” The Wednesday speech and the launch of Louise Casey’s public forum are the immediate steps that will show which reform route has enough support to move forward.
