Agenda item

7.1

It was moved by Councillor George Lindars-Hammond, and seconded by the Deputy Lord Mayor (Councillor Sioned-Mair Richards), that this Council:-

(a)      notes that for over a decade central government have promised a white paper on social care reform – to provide a long-term vision and a financial package to resolve the current crisis in care – and believes that what has now been put forward is a huge, missed opportunity by this Government;

(b)      notes also that the Prime Minister claimed he will ‘fix social care once and for all’, and yet it is this Council’s contention that the recent announcements will make little impact in addressing the scale of the problems, in both the short and long-term and, once again, it will be left on local authorities to pick up the pieces;

(c)      notes that the extra funding for social care is not even enough to deal with the immediate pressures on the system, and that social care is the single biggest financial pressure on this Council;

(d)      believes that the Government’s social care announcement could, in the words of the Local Government Association (LGA), create ‘a situation where the care sector ends up being worse off’ and will put more future pressures on councils, not less, as they may have to cover some of the costs of the cap, as the Government are likely to have under-costed, and it is highly unlikely that the Government will be able to move funding initially flowing to the NHS towards social care at a later point, as at no point in British history has money from the NHS been taken back out of it and redirected to elsewhere in the British state;

(e)      notes that much needed improvements to care sector work is still outstanding from government and believes that without proper investment and decent pay and working conditions the sector will never deliver as it should;

(f)       notes that in Sheffield the previous Administration invested £4.2 million into the care sector to enable Sheffield’s care workers to be given a pay rise and believes that such funding investment was not only the right thing to do, for the extraordinary effort of care workers throughout the pandemic, but that it also ensures a better service to the benefit of those relying on support; and

(g)      believes that the future of social care should be about building communities where people can live healthy independent lives, with a new deal for care workers, and with a new partnership built with families – so they do not put their own health and livelihoods at risk looking after the people they love, or to lose their home to pay for care – but that, sadly, the Government’s proposed reforms fail to deliver on every metric you could think of.

7.2

Whereupon, it was moved by Councillor Steve Ayris, and seconded by Councillor Mohammed Mahroof, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (h) to (m) as follows:-

(h)      notes that the Liberal Democrats on this Council proposed putting an additional £200,000 into vocational development for front-line care workers in the financial year 2021/2022 over and above the £4.2m enhanced pay provision agreed, as a way of boosting the esteem of the caring vocation and the role it plays as a valuable employer;

(i)       notes the plight of unpaid carers who have performed heroic efforts to look after our most vulnerable in society during the pandemic;

(j)       also calls on the Government to raise the Carer’s Allowance by £1000 a year and not what this Council believes to be the insultingly low 5p a day announced in April, allowing our carers to lead decent lives, after recent research suggested a third struggle to make ends meet;

(k)      believes that with over 120,000 vacancies in the sector, professional care staff are overstretched and unable to give people the time and attention they need;

(l)       further believes that the Government’s announcement will mean nothing to the staff who need it and that care staff deserve better pay, recognition and career progression, not vague promises of training and a tax on low paid workers, and therefore that the Government’s plan is neither the way to reform social care nor the way to pay for it; and

(m)     calls upon the Government to work to improve the care sector by investing in staff development, offering good rates of pay, good working conditions and developing a positive culture where staff are valued.

7.3

It was then formally moved by Councillor Martin Phipps, and formally seconded by Councillor Brian Holmshaw, as an amendment, that the Motion now submitted be amended by the addition of new paragraphs (h) to (l) as follows:-

(h)      thanks social care workers for their hard work and sacrifices to care for the people of Sheffield;

(i)       believes that social care workers should be well paid and social care should be properly funded, universal and free-at-the-point of delivery;

(j)       believes that major reform is needed to address the crisis in social care and that, in line with the above principles, a National Care Service should be established;

(k)      applauds the work taking place in Scotland by the Scottish Greens and SNP in forming a National Care Service; and

(l)       resolves to support the introduction of a National Care Service and to write to Sheffield MPs to lobby Parliament for the introduction of this.

7.4

The amendment moved by Councillor Steve Ayris was put to the vote and was carried, except for paragraph (h) which was negatived.

7.4.1

(NOTE: Councillor Lewis Chinchen voted for paragraphs (i) and (m), voted against paragraph (l), and abstained from voting on paragraphs (h), (j) and (k), of the amendment moved by Councillor Steve Ayris, and asked for this to be recorded.)

7.5

The amendment moved by Councillor Martin Phipps was then put to the vote and was carried, except for paragraph (k) which was negatived.

7.5.1

(NOTE: 1. Councillors Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Ann Woolhouse, Tim Huggan, Mohammed Mahroof, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, Penny Baker, Vickie Priestley, Richard Williams, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery and Ann Whitaker voted for paragraph (h), voted against paragraphs (j) to (l), and abstained from voting on paragraph (i), of the amendment moved by Councillor Martin Phipps, and asked for this to be recorded.

2. Councillor Lewis Chinchen voted for paragraph (h) and abstained from voting on paragraphs (i) to (l), of the amendment moved by Councillor Martin Phipps, and asked for this to be recorded.)

7.6

The original Motion, as amended, was then put as a Substantive Motion in the following form and carried:-

RESOLVED: That this Council:-

(a)      notes that for over a decade central government have promised a white paper on social care reform – to provide a long-term vision and a financial package to resolve the current crisis in care – and believes that what has now been put forward is a huge, missed opportunity by this Government;

(b)      notes also that the Prime Minister claimed he will ‘fix social care once and for all’, and yet it is this Council’s contention that the recent announcements will make little impact in addressing the scale of the problems, in both the short and long-term and, once again, it will be left on local authorities to pick up the pieces;

(c)      notes that the extra funding for social care is not even enough to deal with the immediate pressures on the system, and that social care is the single biggest financial pressure on this Council;

(d)      believes that the Government’s social care announcement could, in the words of the Local Government Association (LGA), create ‘a situation where the care sector ends up being worse off’ and will put more future pressures on councils, not less, as they may have to cover some of the costs of the cap, as the Government are likely to have under-costed, and it is highly unlikely that the Government will be able to move funding initially flowing to the NHS towards social care at a later point, as at no point in British history has money from the NHS been taken back out of it and redirected to elsewhere in the British state;

(e)      notes that much needed improvements to care sector work is still outstanding from government and believes that without proper investment and decent pay and working conditions the sector will never deliver as it should;

(f)       notes that in Sheffield the previous Administration invested £4.2 million into the care sector to enable Sheffield’s care workers to be given a pay rise and believes that such funding investment was not only the right thing to do, for the extraordinary effort of care workers throughout the pandemic, but that it also ensures a better service to the benefit of those relying on support;

(g)      believes that the future of social care should be about building communities where people can live healthy independent lives, with a new deal for care workers, and with a new partnership built with families – so they do not put their own health and livelihoods at risk looking after the people they love, or to lose their home to pay for care – but that, sadly, the Government’s proposed reforms fail to deliver on every metric you could think of;

(h)      notes the plight of unpaid carers who have performed heroic efforts to look after our most vulnerable in society during the pandemic;

(i)       also calls on the Government to raise the Carer’s Allowance by £1000 a year and not what this Council believes to be the insultingly low 5p a day announced in April, allowing our carers to lead decent lives, after recent research suggested a third struggle to make ends meet;

(j)       believes that with over 120,000 vacancies in the sector, professional care staff are overstretched and unable to give people the time and attention they need;

(k)      further believes that the Government’s announcement will mean nothing to the staff who need it and that care staff deserve better pay, recognition and career progression, not vague promises of training and a tax on low paid workers, and therefore that the Government’s plan is neither the way to reform social care nor the way to pay for it;

(l)       calls upon the Government to work to improve the care sector by investing in staff development, offering good rates of pay, good working conditions and developing a positive culture where staff are valued;

(m)     thanks social care workers for their hard work and sacrifices to care for the people of Sheffield;

(n)      believes that social care workers should be well paid and social care should be properly funded, universal and free-at-the-point of delivery;

(o)      believes that major reform is needed to address the crisis in social care and that, in line with the above principles, a National Care Service should be established; and

(p)      resolves to support the introduction of a National Care Service and to write to Sheffield MPs to lobby Parliament for the introduction of this.

7.6.1

(NOTE: 1. Councillors Richard Shaw, Sophie Thornton, Ann Woolhouse, Tim Huggan, Mohammed Mahroof, Joe Otten, Colin Ross, Martin Smith, Vic Bowden, Alan Woodcock, Roger Davison, Barbara Masters, Shaffaq Mohammed, Sue Alston, Andrew Sangar, Cliff Woodcraft, Ian Auckland, Sue Auckland, Steve Ayris, Kevin Oxley, Penny Baker, Vickie Priestley, Richard Williams, Alan Hooper, Mike Levery and Ann Whitaker voted for paragraphs (a) to (m), voted against paragraphs (o) and (p), and abstained from voting on paragraph (n), of the Substantive Motion, and asked for this to be recorded.

2. Councillor Lewis Chinchen voted for paragraph (h), (l) and (m), voted against paragraphs (a) to (e) and (k), and abstained from voting on paragraph (f), (g), (i), (j) and (n) to (p), of the Substantive Motion, and asked for this to be recorded.)