Lib Dems call on Surrey MPs to back cross-party care plan
Liberal Democrats in Surrey have written to the county's 11 Conservative Members of Parliament, asking them to back a cross party initiative on the future of social care and how to fund it.
In the letter, Cllr Hazel Watson, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council, has asked the 11 Surrey MPs to back plans by Norman Lamb MP, the Liberal Democrat Care Minister in the previous Coalition Government. He is calling on the government to establish an NHS & Care Convention, which will look for a long-term solution to the crisis in health and social care funding. The plan is backed by 25 MPs from all parties, and the supporting statement was also signed by Dr Dan Poulter MP, former Conservative Health Minister, and Liz Kendall MP, Labour's former shadow care minister. The Prime Minister has now met with Norman Lamb and a group of cross party MPs to discuss the proposal further.
Cllr Hazel Watson said:
"I am pleased to support Norman Lamb's proposals to look at how we fund health and social care in the future. I believe that this is the correct way to solve the problem we have here in Surrey with the funding of adult social care, rather than an unacceptable and unaffordable council tax rise. A national funding solution is needed to solve what is a national problem and these proposals, which have support across all three political parties, are a clear way forward and deserve our support."
Cllr Fiona White, Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Social Care, said:
"The King's Fund, a respected health think tank, warned in November last year that we were facing a crisis in the funding of social care in this country, with a £1.9 billion funding gap. I urge our Conservative parliamentarians here in Surrey to back Norman Lamb's sensible approach to this very difficult funding problem, so that we can work together to provide essential services for our communities in the future".
NOTES
- A link to the letter can be found here:
https://surreylibdems.org.uk/en/document/letter-from-cllr-hazel-watson-to-surrey-mps
- Further information on Norman's campaign can be found here: