But they can only do this by raising council tax, increasing charging and draining their reserves,” said Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the LGIU. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Meg Hillier says report shows social care workforce is in a precarious state. Photograph: Jonathan Goldberg/REXMinisters have no up-to-date workforce strategy and have effectively ignored the growing crisis in social care staffing, the NAO report concludes. Almost all councils (95%) say they are planning to raise council tax this year – a far cry from 2012, when the same proportion froze rates, encouraged by ministers. Many councils plan to increase council tax by 6% in 2018-19 – the maximum allowed – including 3% earmarked to fund social care.

Source: The Guardian February 08, 2018 00:00 UTC