More than £1.3bn has been cut from council's annual spending to help the over 65s, according to new research by the House of Commons Library.

The data found councils spent around £6.3bn on social care for the over 65s in 2010-11, compared to £7.6bn in the previous year.

Shadow minister for social care and older people, Liz Kendall, commissioned the report and said the research revealed ‘a quiet crisis in social care'.

‘These cuts will cost everyone in the long run, as older people, who could remain healthy and independent in their own homes end up in hospital when they don't need to,' she said.

New research from the consumer watchdog Which? has also revealed that many councils are not providing enough help for people funding their own long-term care.

The magazine found half of councils in England and Wales do not keep records of people funding their own care, with 60% unable to say who had run out of money and become dependent on local authority funding.

‘Without guidance, self-funders are unlikely to hear about solutions such as an immediate needs annuity and are at risk of depleting their resources prematurely,' said Which? personal finance expert, Ian Robinson.

‘Some councils provide excellent sign-posting to qualified advisers and Which? would like to see more of this, as recommended in the recent Dilnot report.'