The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group are calling for the Spring Budget to
- Invest in social care and provides the funding services desperately need, knowing that there will be a social and economic return felt in local communities, councils and across the NHS.
- Challenge councils and integrated care systems to adopt a transformative approach to commissioning that maximises partnership with the third sector and local communities to enable innovation to flourish, free up available funds and make better use of funding to meet the needs of disabled people.
- Make available more capital funding for housing supply, with a focus on ensuring disabled people have the right housing, in the right places.
Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
‘Millions of disabled children and adults in the UK rely on state funding to enable them to access their legal entitlements to care and support. The chronic underfunding of councils means services for disabled people of all ages and their families are closing.
‘While the increase in the national living wage is a welcome announcement, it is expected to require a 10-12% uplift in funding. In many areas, councils are announcing 0-7% increases, failing to provide the funding needed to cover this cost, let alone other increases linked to inflationary and utility costs such as energy and fuel.
‘Local government and the NHS will not be able to meet the growing demand for social care, housing and the community support disabled people and their families rely on, without third sector provision.
'We must safeguard services for disabled people if statutory requirements are to be met. To keep ignoring the problem fails millions of people who deserve better.'