My dad is in a care home. Like hundreds of thousands of other people around the country, I know exactly how important it is that older and disabled people who need help get care that is worthy of the name.

Last month the Independent Commission on Local Government Finance made clear that the way local government is funded is not sustainable for the long term; this chimes with the view we set out in our plan for an incoming government’s First 100 Days. Nowhere is the potential for failure starker than in the way our society looks after some of its most vulnerable people.

We need an honest debate. The adult social care system is in crisis. Last year councils had to take £900m out of other services to plug the funding gap.

Our analysis suggests this is going to increase by a further £1.1bn next year. So far councils have kept the show on the road but the risk is growing to other services that our residents hold dear, like libraries, parks and leisure centres. It would be both counter-productive and short-sighted to be forced to cut exactly the things which play such an important role in keeping people healthy and independent in the first place.