Stephen
Metcalfe, local MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, has welcomed the
Government’s recent announcement of a package of reforms to tackle the cost of
social care.
Each
year, more than 30,000 people have to sell their homes to pay for the cost of
care. The Government have announced a number of reforms to help tackle this
problem including a cap on care costs from 2017, and an increase in the
threshold for the value of assets someone can hold before qualifying for
support. This threshold will rise from £23,250 to £123,000.
Mr
Metcalfe commented: “The current system, which only provides state support if
your assets are above £23,250, is unfair and sends out completely the wrong
message – that if you work hard, save for your future and want to have something
to pass on to your loved ones, your savings can disappear in a puff of smoke if
you end up needing long term care. As one in three of us will get dementia and
one in ten end up with more than £100,000 of care costs, this is a problem we
cannot ignore.”
“These
new measures will provide financial protection for those in South Basildon and
East Thurrock with modest wealth, while ensuring that the poorest continue to
have all or the majority of their costs paid.”
Stephen
Metcalfe added: “These proposals demonstrate the Government’s determination to
help people in South Basildon and East Thurrock who have worked hard, saved and
done the right thing. We can be proud that we will perhaps be the first country
which, in the face of an ageing population, is building a system where people
can plan and prepare for their care costs as much as they plan and prepare for
their pensions.”
