£86k social care costs cap 'faces fresh delay'

AN £86,000 cap on social care costs due to come into effect next year will be impossible to implement and must be further delayed, county councils have warned.

The limit on the amount anyone in England has to spend on their personal care over their lifetime is due to come in from October 2025.

It is part of adult social care charging reforms which had been due to be implemented by the Conservatives from October 2023 but were delayed by two years.

While the cap was not mentioned in Labour's manifesto, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said it remains "the plan as things stand".

But the County Councils Network says the vast majority of local authorities are not ready and want a delay of at least a year.

Concerns were around funding and staffing, with the organisation estimating more than 5,000 extra staff were needed to implement the changes in England.