Responding to today’s Spring Budget, Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says:
‘Today’s budget ignores the needs of millions of people, by failing to invest in social care.
‘Whilst investment in early years and SEND is welcome, to continue to overlook social care is to cut essential services for disabled people and their families.
‘The current system is unsustainable. Local government is unable to fund the services people need, and today’s Budget has done nothing to put the sector on a surer footing.
‘Charities now face the stark reality of needing fees to rise by at least 12% in 2024/25 to cover costs including the government’s commitment to increase National Living Wage, but council uplifts for next year are falling far short of this.
‘The impact will be the loss of support for some of the most vulnerable people in our society, who continue to be failed by the Government’s refusal to provide the funding and certainty councils, charities and most importantly disabled people, need.’
ENDS
A summary of the key announcements can be found here.