Adult social care workforce and Local Government

That this House notes the pre-covid-19 outbreak changes to funding for adult social care council budgets since 2010; recognises local Government as the primary commissioners of adult social care services; notes with concern the absence of local Government as part of the Government’s announcements on social care reforms and delivery; further notes that the £5.4 billion assigned to adult social care out of the £36 billion to be raised over three years following the introduction of the Health and Social Care levy is not adequate to match the scale of the issues facing that sector; notes that the statement made by the Prime Minister of 7 September 2021 is a plan predominately to assist the NHS and not the broken adult social care sector; asserts the Government has not addressed the job retention and vacancy problem facing the adult social care sector by improving pay, terms and conditions as well training opportunities for the care workforce; recognises the inability of the market to provide the solutions to underoccupancy in care homes and the sharply increasing demand for home care services; and agrees with the calls of Age UK to provide a big injection of funding to councils' care budgets which includes a social care workforce strategy to meet rising demand and the needs of disabled and older people by widening the criteria for state support alongside a new deal for unpaid, informal carers.