Marvin Rees Hits Out At Social Care Costs in Speech Coinciding with Consultation

The cost of adults and children receiving social care from Bristol City Council, has come under fire by Marvin Rees, at the same time a consultation on a Fair and Affordable Care Policy is taking place.

In the annual State of the City 2023, Rees targeted the cost of social care in a part of the speech addressing ‘specific challenge for the committee system’.

He said: “With 7,000 adults receiving care from the council, costing our taxpayers £200 million and 800 children receiving care packages that cost £100 million, there is a huge challenge to manage the public purse well. We have launched transformation projects into both adult and children’s care to improve cost efficiency, along with another into the growing crisis of temporary accommodation where costs are rising exponentially every year. 

“If future leaders want the ability to impact on the city, they must complete the work to make those services more efficient or – with 75% of our revenue already taken up by care and a further 10% taken up by debt – you will become nothing more than a social service provider and lose the ability to impact on the city. The committee system, in power, will have to own the fact that you cannot have everything you want all at once. The truth is you can’t have everything you want even through time. Decisions have to be made.”

The council is currently running its ‘Fair and Affordable Care Policy Consultation’ which has upset the city’s Disabled people whose care might change as a result.

Last month, Disability Rights UK slammed the plans which would remove rights of Disabled people in the city to have at-home care.

CEO Kamran Mallick said in a letter to Rees and the Leader of Bristol’s Green Group that the policy was “absolutely unacceptable.”

Mallick called for the policy to be withdrawn, saying that the ‘draft policy, as stated, is incompatible with the rights we are granted under the Care Act 2014.’

Bristol City Council says ‘The policy sets out how we intend to ensure best value and cost-effectiveness when identifying how we meet an individual’s needs.’

The new draft policy says: ‘However, where a care package to remain at home would substantially exceed the affordability of residential care, the Council will need to consider other cost-effective alternatives which might include: Offering a residential or nursing home placement that accepts the local authority rate (also referred to as ‘the Bristol Rate’) rather than in a home where fees are more expensive.’

Bristol City Council is still consulting on its ‘Fair and Affordable Care Policy‘ which runs until 30 October 2023.

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