Agenda item

Motion D

Proposer: Cllr das Neves

Seconder: Cllr Simmons-Safo

Crisis in the Social Care Sector 

This Council notes: 

Since 2010, Central Government’s funding to English local authorities has reduced by approximately 30% on average and investment in social care has not increased sufficiently to meet the demands we see of an ageing population and of people living with more serious and multiple conditions for longer.

In addition, adult social care is facing further unprecedented challenges with its workforce recruitment and retention, alongside pressures from hospital discharge.

Each day, the Council provides 3,500 adult residents with care and support, with an additional 1,000 residents requiring other types of input. This can cost anywhere from £120 up to £6,000 a week for our most vulnerable residents with complex needs. 

In the first quarter of 2023, an additional circa 300 adults were referred to Adult Social Care in Haringey. This number is increasing year on year and impacts our ability to properly fund their support. Nevertheless, it is our statutory duty to deliver this care. 

The adult social care sector has been greatly impacted by the interest rate hikes caused by the disastrous Truss government’s mini budget; the Government’s failure to tackle rising energy costs, and staff shortages exacerbated by failed migration policy and a lack of long-term investment in training, development, and retention. 

This Council believes: 

There is a crisis in the social care sector due to an absence of central government-led, long-term investment and an inadequate plan for the sector, its workforce, and support for local authorities and communities to deal with the demands on their services. 

The UK Government must urgently invest in and reform the social care sector, to enhance its ability to deal with future demand challenges; making social care more efficient and delivering the best and most dignified care by allowing users better access, and more choice and control over their support. 

The UK Government must focus away from remedial and acute services, towards community-centred preventative models of care, support, housing, and assistive technology to aid independent living; tackle isolation and loneliness; and enable communities to deal with issues such as mental health support. 

There is an urgent need to recruit and retain paid carers, support unpaid carers, and move the sector away from low pay, low recognition, and poor conditions, towards higher pay, better conditions and professional development, to end the workforce crisis currently facing the sector. 

Any funding and investment for social care needs to be focused on a long-term, 10-year plan rather than piecemeal ad hoc grants which do not address the wider and future challenges of increasing demand and complexity of residents’ needs, and prevent local authorities making long term plans.

This Council resolves: 

To write to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to urge him to include a long-term funding plan for social care in the Autumn financial statement that focuses on enhancing the sectors’ ability to deal with the complex and increasing demand on these vital services for those in our community.

Motion E

Abolish Garden Waste Charges

Proposer: Cllr Scott Emery

Seconder: Cllr Dawn Barnes

Council notes that:

• Haringey introduced garden waste charges in 2017;
• Haringey’s recycling rate peaked in 2016/17, the year garden waste charges were introduced;
• Haringey’s recycling rate was falling well before the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost of living crisis;
• Levels of use in the garden waste service are still running below those in 2017 when charging was introduced;
• Local Authority data indicates that free collections can achieve up to 80-90% participation rate in households with garden waste when compared to an estimated 35% only under charged services;
• The MTFS income target for increased subscription charges is not expected to be hit this year, for a second year running;
• Haringey is committed through ‘Destination 50%’ to recycle 50% of household waste by 2030, but is currently achieving a level of just 30.4%, and targeting an increase to only 32.5% by 2025;
• As of 2022, 10/32 London Boroughs offered free garden waste collections.

Council believes that:

• Stopping charging for garden waste collection is the only way the scheme will achieve satisfactory take-up from residents;
• Failure to remove charges for garden waste collection would signify that the council is not truly committed to recycling;
• Reaching the target of 50% of waste being recycled will only be possible if the council is willing to put significant resources into this area;
• The experiment of charging for garden waste has been a failure.

Council resolves to:

• End charging for garden waste collection by the end of the 2024/25 financial year.