CORNWALL Council is due to debate and vote on the central government proposal to raise the council tax precept by a further 1% to alleviate the current crisis in health and social care.

The Adult Social Care Precept was introduced last year and allowed local authorities to increase council tax by an additional 2%, on top of the regular 2% increase, as long as the additional monies raised were used in full to support local Adult Social Care services. This overall 4% rise was approved by Cornwall Council in November for 2017 and 2018, and will be discussed again on February 21, at full council.

The current winter crisis in the National Health Service has been well publicised and there is now broad recognition that one of the problems in local hospitals is that beds that could be used for emergency patients and scheduled operations are being ‘blocked’ by unfortunate people who are ready to leave hospital, but cannot get the correct care and support in their own homes to make this possible.

The NHS has received some extra funding this year, but the funding from the government to local authorities continues to be cut. So far, this grant has been reduced by 40% since 2010, and although Cornwall Council has done what they can to protect the social care budget, there has inevitable been less money to spend.

So far Cornwall Council has managed to continue to help more people each year, but with an aging population with ever more complex needs, this cannot be sustained without extra funding.

The extra 1% under consideration would cost the average Band D house an extra 26p per week, but would generate an extra £2.5 million to be spent on social care in Cornwall in 2017 and 2018.

It is also current policy that by the end of this parliament local authorities will no longer receive money from central government, but will have to rely on funding solely from their council tax and business rates receipts.

Dominic Fairman, Liberal Democrat Cornwall Councillor for St Teath, St Breward and Delabole, who is a member of the council’s health and social care overview and scrutiny committee, said: “By 2020, Cornwall Council will have no more funding from out of county and the less we are able to put into social care, the harder our local hospitals will struggle to cope with the winter pressures.

“The 1% rise would help in the short term, and meanwhile the Liberal Democrats are urging the other national parties to come to a cross-party agreement for a fairer, longer term solution for funding social care.

“I would be very interested to hear residents’ views on this. Raising local taxes is never going to be popular, but the amount we at Cornwall Council are able to spend on social care has a direct impact on how well our local hospitals can function.”

For further infor­mation, contact Cllr Fairman on 07939 122303 or at [email protected]