Councils face a £500m shortfall in funding social care for older people

Councils in England are facing a total funding gap of £500m (€600m; $785m) this year on spending for older people’s social care.

A new report published by the charity Age UK paints a bleak picture of local authorities struggling with increasingly inadequate levels of funding, combined with soaring need.

The figures show that a £341m reduction in older people’s social care budgets this financial year, equivalent to a 4.5% cut, has created the half a billion shortfall. To maintain the same levels of service as in 2010, the report says, the government needs to spend at least £7.8bn this year. However, it shows that councils have budgeted for a spend of only £7.3bn in the face …