GMB poll is bad news for Hammond's budget

A majority of the British public support £2.6 billion extra funding for social care to plug a shortfall, according to a new poll, with one in six saying this should come from general taxation.

The polling by Survation for the GMB union, released today, finds 90 per cent of respondents said it was very important (49 per cent) or somewhat important (40 per cent) this week’s budget commit to the £2.6 billion.

Sixty-one per cent said this funding increase should be paid for by national taxation, compared with twenty per cent preferring local council taxes.

The survey also found 76 per cent believe social carers on £8.50 an hour are paid too little, 81 per cent say cuts to adult social care have piled pressure on the NHS, and 70 per cent backing a National Care Service to make standards the same across the country.

The results make uncomfortable reading for the government, with Chancellor Philip Hammond is expected to find an extra £1 billion for social care by raising national insurance for the self-employed and alcohol duty.

Rehana Azam, GMB National Secretary, said:

“There is widespread public support for adult social care to be properly funded by national, general taxation. The public recognise the scale of the crisis facing social care and that the buck stops at Downing Street. The Prime Minister’s attempt to solve this problem through local council tax increases is a sticking plaster and we support councils that are doing what they can – but it is not a sustainable solution. There is overwhelming public support for immediate government action in this week’s Budget to provide funds to plug the eye-watering £2.6 billion black hole in adult social care funding.”

See: Budget 2017: What to expect from Philip Hammond’s statement

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