Implementing the Government's cap on care costs will be an 'enormous undertaking' for councils, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
In a detailed briefing on the Government's social care plan, the LGA said the cost of the financial reforms would absorb a portion of the £5.4bn pledged for social care.
The briefing warned this would mean there was little or nothing to pay for other reforms such as new models of care, care worker pay and meeting unmet need.
It said the plan contained far too little detail and failed to help millions of people ‘here and now’.
The briefing added it was 'deeply troubling' that the Government seemed to be relying on council tax, the adult social care precept and long-term efficiencies to meet core costs.
Chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, Cllr David Fothergill, said: 'The Government’s long-awaited plan has some potential promise on how care is paid for and the contributions people themselves make, but has left open many more questions which need answering urgently.
'As it stands, it will not improve access to or quality of social care services or provide an uplift on care worker pay in the here and now, which would better support people to live the lives they want to lead and, in turn, strengthen our communities.
'We need a cast iron commitment from government that the White Paper, together with the Spending Review, will result in a long-term plan and a steady stream of investment into social care.'
