78 per cent of MPs believe more money should go to social care budgets

New polling by the Local Government Association (LGA) has shown that 78 per cent of MPs believe that additional funding should go to councils' social care budgets.

The news comes after the LGA warned that the funding gap facing social care is at least £2.6 billion by 2020.

The ComRes poll, answered by 152 MPs, agreed that additional funding should go to councils' social care budgets to tackle the funding crisis, while 84 per cent of 100 peers surveyed also backed the LGA's call for more money to go to social care.

Cllr Izzi Seccombe, Chairman of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said: "Councils, charities, care providers, the NHS, and now as our polling shows, MPs and peers of all political colours, are fully united behind our call for urgent new funding to be injected into social care.

"We have long warned that social care stands on the brink of collapse, unless new money is announced by government.

"The measures taken by government, such as the ability for councils to raise council tax to pay for social care, will not bring in enough funding to solve the social care funding crisis.

"We need a long-term, sustainable solution, not quick short-term fixes.

"Genuinely new government money is now the only way to protect the services caring for elderly and disabled people, and ensure they can enjoy dignified and healthy lives.”