Oxfordshire MP urges government to focus on social care in Spending Review
Calum Miller says the Spending Review is an "opportunity" to investment in health and social care
An Oxfordshire MP is urging the government to focus to focus on improving social care in today’s Spending Review from the Chancellor.
It’s as Rachel Reeves will announce later today what each Government department will have to spend over the next few years.
Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said: “Today's spending review provides an opportunity for the government to make the investment in health and social care, that so many people across the country need.
“They have made some more money available for the NHS, but they've refused to invest properly in social care, and that's solving one part of the problem without the other part.”
He added: “Social care has been neglected by governments over too long, and what we now need is a way of addressing that problem.
“Too many people are caught up in our hospital system because they can't leave it into well supported social care and too many people are coming into our hospital system because they're not being well looked after in the community.
“Social care is a lower cost way, not only of improving people's lives, but of reducing the pressure on the NHS.”
The Liberal Democrat also says, “we call on the government to have a more ambitious approach to growth”.
He added: “We have put forward a whole series of proposals to the government of ways in which the largest corporations, if you like, those with the broader shoulders, would make a better contribution through tax.
“We'd much rather see the government explore those ideas than look at further cuts to public services when so many of my constituents tell me that they just need better public services and too many of those are over stretched.”
Meanwhile, Rachel Reeves has acknowledged that not enough people are feeling the progress Labour has made and said her spending review will be about "making working people better off".
The Chancellor is expected to announce funding increases for the NHS, schools and defence along with a number of infrastructure projects on Wednesday, as she shares out some £113 billion freed up by looser borrowing rules.
However, other areas could face cuts as she seeks to balance manifesto commitments with more recent pledges, such as a hike in defence spending, while meeting her fiscal rules that promise to match day-to-day spending with revenues.