Local services stretched by ‘unprecedented’ elderly population

Figures from the County Councils Network (CCN) have indicated that local services are at breaking point as a result of an increasingly elderly population and ‘outdated’ government funding.

The data, provided by Pixel Financial Management, shows that the over 65s population growth in county regions rose on average by 10 per cent between 2013 and 2016, higher than any other part of England and the national average, and ten times steeper than average county population growth of 1.74 per cent. Northamptonshire has seen the highest percentage increase of 12.5 per cent.

However, as this population boom is not recognised in the way government funding is distributed to councils, county leaders have warned that ‘disproportionate cuts’ will force them into considering introducing new charges for social care and cutting other services elsewhere, such as children’s centres and libraries.

With funding distribution ‘outdated’, CCN is calling for the government to provide additional resource to close an estimated £2.54 billion funding gap for county councils by 2021, and that the Department of Health & Social Care should set out steps to ‘fairly’ fund county social care services as part of its green paper this summer.

Colin Noble, health & social care spokesman for the CCN, said: “We are dealing with an elderly population boom on an unprecedented scale, creating significant pressure at a time when we can scarcely afford it, with counties facing severe financial difficultly that threatens existence of highly-valued public services and means we have to reluctantly consider charging for other life-critical services.

“Of course, people living healthier and longer, not to mention choosing to live in our historic counties, should be celebrated. But this growth – and therefore extra demand – is not reflected in the way that our councils are presently funded. This is outdated, unfair, and unsustainable in the long-term.​ Fortunately, the government recognises this. We want to work with Ministers on the fairer funding review to devise a new methodology and new ways that sustainably funds councils based on what they need to deliver services. Elderly population growth should be a key indicator in this. At the same time, if social care services are to become sustainable, the forthcoming green paper must set out a variety of options to fund services, including tax, spend, and insurance options.”