£500m Social Care Investment: robbing Peter to pay Paul

EMBARGO: Immediate Release 

Responding to reports that Wes Streeting is set to announce a £500m investment into the care sector today, Liberal Democrat Care and Carers spokesperson Alison Bennett MP said: 

"It is good the Government is finally taking steps to pay our care workers properly, as Liberal Democrats have long called for. But ministers need to properly fund this pay rise, instead of relying on local authorities hiking council tax. 

“Without the extra investment our social care sector needs, this is simply robbing Peter to pay Paul.

“The Government must complete its review into social care this year and urgently implement reforms to bring care back from the precipice. We need a plan that ensures high quality care is available to everyone who needs it, not just a series of headline-grabbing, short-term announcements that fail to adequately address the scale of the crisis.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Government announcement reported here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/sep/29/labour-to-tackle-care-sector-crisis-in-england-with-pay-increase-and-new-negotiating-body

IFS estimate 80% of the £4bn announced in spending review for social care reforms will come from council tax rises, as reported here: https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/Spending_Review_analysis_impacts_for_public_services_MW.pdf