Ministers have today insisted attempts to deliver the ambitions of the Better Care Fund (BCF) are ‘a necessity' if England is to transform health and care services to match growing demand.

The upbeat comments come in the wake of concerns raised last week, when it emerged the Cabinet Office was reviewing the £3.8bn pooled budget initiative amid doubts as to the viability of some local authority proposals.

But in a paper released today by the County Councils Network (CCN) local government minister Brandon Lewis and care minister Norman Lamb, argue the BCF is a response to a cost and demand challenge that must be met head on.