My proposal is to create properly funded, independent Local Carer Advisory Boards in every region, made up mostly of actual carers, to decide how social care money is spent in their areas. We need to stop pretending Whitehall knows best when it comes to supporting families like mine.
The current system is a mess, with money disappearing into central government budgets and then trickling down in tiny amounts that don't make a real difference. We hear all this talk about 'good growth' and 'rebalancing power' but it never reaches the people doing the hardest work for free. Carers are the backbone of this country, saving billions, but we're invisible to the people making the big decisions. We know what's needed on the ground, better than any civil servant in London.
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Mock the policy. Not the person. Community principles →
Look, when the council cut the respite care hours for my neighbour, Mrs. Davies, who looks after her husband, they didn't consult anyone who actually uses the service. The money just vanished. These boards would be accountable to the carers themselves, and the people they support, because they’d be the ones feeling the pinch if it wasn't working.