News
As the three main political parties gear up for the forthcoming live television debates, they have clashed on how social care for older people will be paid for in future.
Each party has been highly critical of the others’ plans for the hot topic, leading to angry exchanges and the collapse of cross-party consensus talks.
Labour and the Liberal Democrats have indicated their preference for a mandatory scheme to cover the cost of social care and health costs into old age, with the Conservatives branding a potential figure of £20,000 to come from the estates of the elderly as a “death tax”.
Conversely, Labour and the Lib Dems claim that the Conservative proposals, which would see pensioners making an £8,000 voluntary upfront insurance payment to fund their care, would be unfair on older people who do not have enough assets outside the value of their homes.
The Liberal Democrats say that their research indicates 3.5 million households of pensionable age, or approximately two-thirds of pensioner households, would be unable to raise the required funds without selling or releasing equity from their homes. Hitting back, the Conservatives accused the Lib Dems of using “smear tactics” and said that the insurance premiums would not be payable by the poorest pensioners.
A conference organised by Age UK, the largest charity in Britain representing the elderly, aimed to restart dialogue between Health Secretary Andy Burnham, and Conservative and Liberal Democrat party equivalents, Andrew Lansley and Norman Lamb.
The charity said that 60 percent of the UK public thought that the politicians were not working together satisfactorily in order to improve care conditions for the elderly.
