The Government has unveiled its blueprint for a 'fully-funded solution' to the social care time-bomb, including a £75,000 lifetime cap on the care costs

Controversially, this cap would not include the cost of accommodation and food and is more than twice the amount recommended by Andrew Dilnot - who led the Government's inquiry into solutions to funding long-term adult care.

Unveiling the proposals, health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: ‘This is a watershed moment for our country. For too long, the issue of social care has been ducked by successive governments, leading to an unfair system that has seen people selling their homes and losing nearly everything they've worked for to pay for their care. With us, that unfairness is ending.

‘These historic reforms will give everyone the protection they want in their old age and save the family home,' Mr Hunt added.

In response, Cllr David Rogers, Chair of the Local Government Association's community wellbeing board, said: ‘We remain concerned about the disproportionate financial implications this cap could have on councils in different parts of the country and would be encouraged if government looked to understand and act on this.

‘We will now carry out our own research as a matter of urgency to look at the impact this will have across different parts of the country and the likely costs to councils, particularly in relation to the number of people liable to pay for their own care and the impact of local house prices and home ownership rates in different regions,' Cllr Rogers continued.