Social care funding review must come now, says Stockport MP

The ongoing reduction in local authorities’ spending power can only be tackled by the Government addressing the critical shortfalls in social care, local MP Lisa Smart has told a Commons debate on local government funding.

The MP, herself no stranger to local government budgets after nearly a decade as a councillor in Stockport, was addressing a debate led by fellow Lib Dem MP Tom Morrison (Cheadle).

Lisa Smart, the Liberal Democrat MP for Hazel Grove constituency, said: “The root of the problems is the unsustainability of social care.

“For Stockport Council, three in every four pounds spent is spent on either adult and children’s social care. The demand for that is increasing, but the funding available is not.” 

Nationally, in 2023/24, total expenditure on adult social care rose to £32billion, an increase of 6.3% in real terms from two years earlier.

Lisa added: “This Government has promised to sort out funding for local government and funding for social care. Yet it is sitting on a three year review of funding, and nothing will get fixed until it speeds this up. 

“They need to crack on and get it done.”