Independent Age welcomes the appointment of Greg Clark as Communities and Local Government Secretary

“We welcome the appointment of Greg Clark as Communities and Local Government Secretary. We hope he will take an active interest and involvement in social care, which is the single biggest area of expenditure for most councils. The integration of social care with health, most obviously in pioneering changes proposed in Greater Manchester, will be a priority for many councils in the next few years. However it will take place against the background of cuts to social care services over the term of the last Parliament as a consequence of reduced funding settlements for local government. With an ageing population creating more demand, there is an urgent need for the minister to protect councils’ future social care funding if further, even more drastic service reductions, are to be avoided.”