Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had some fantastic visits to some of the groups that do so much to tackle loneliness within our community. Groups like the volunteers who have re-opened Lenny’s café in Shipham; the dementia groups at the Lawrence Centre in Wells; the singing group and art class at the Crispin Centre in Street; and the computer class and table tennis club at the BAY Centre in Burnham-on-Sea. These groups are just the tip of the iceberg too - one of the most amazing things about our part of Somerset is the rich tapestry of clubs, societies and associations that underpin our communities.
This voluntary and charitable sector is increasingly important in meeting the needs of our ageing population. All the evidence shows that when people are kept active and engaged in their community, they can live independently at home for far longer. That saves the taxpayer millions of pounds but much more importantly, it is what people want.
I’ve written recently about the challenges of funding adult social care and there are certainly no easy answers. Japan and Germany have required people to take out insurances to fund their care in later life and we’ve just given councils the green light to put up council tax. Elsewhere in the developed world income taxes are going up or public services cut right back so that Government money can meet the burgeoning demand.
Delivering sufficient adult social care to allow all in our society a dignified, happy and long retirement is the great public policy challenge of our time. Undoubtedly, it will require more public cash but the voluntary and charitable sectors as well as the growing network of micro-providers will be absolutely essential too.