A crisis in social care funding since the coalition government came to power has left many elderly people in greater hardship, struggling with higher charges and less specialist support.

Government figures show that councils’ annual budgets for help for the over-65s have fallen by £1.3bn since 2010, with cuts hitting nursing homes and support for the most vulnerable.

Despite a promise by the chancellor, George Osborne, last year to provide an extra £2bn for councils to spend on care homes, meals on wheels and daily help for older and disabled people, research conducted by the Commons Library suggests that the money, which was not ring-fenced, has not reached the frontline.

Instead, the figures show that in 2009-10 councils in England spent £7.6bn on social care for the over-65s compared to £6.3bn this year – a cut of nearly a fifth (17%).

Liz Kendall, the shadow minister for care and older people, who commissioned the research, said: “Older people, their carers and families are seeing services reduced, charges increased and support restricted to those only with the most critical needs.”

She told the Daily Telegraph: “These cuts will cost everyone more in the long run, as older people who could remain healthy and independent in their own homes end up in hospital when they don’t need to.”

Campaigners have warned that the cuts will mean longer hospital stays for the elderly and cause strain on families with more people being forced to give up work to act as carers.

The government laid the blame squarely on local authorities, which it said had a duty to spend extra money it made available on social care.

Paul Burstow, the care services minister, said there was no excuse for cutting social care. “Our decision to make up to £2bn extra a year available to councils means they are receiving more money from the government than ever before for social care. If local councils are cutting frontline services then local people should hold them to account for that decision.”

The local government minister, Grant Shapps, said it was “unacceptable” for councils to “target the elderly and vulnerable to boost their bank balances”.

Councils are also increasing fees for home help and meals on wheels in an attempt to plug the funding gap, according to a survey by Age UK.

The charity said it found that two thirds of local authorities were increasing fees for services such as meals on wheels, which on average had risen from £3.17 last year to £3.44. Nearly half of councils were now charging more for home care services, with a rise in average prices from £13.05 an hour to £13.40.

Councils are also less willing to pay higher fees for specialist care such as dementia care, and Age UK said only a quarter of councils had increased rates paid for residential care homes.

Michelle Mitchell, Age UK’s charity director, said: “We know the care system is in financial crisis. We need the government to to show leadership and make the difficult but vital decisions to reform our broken care system.”hip

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/oct/28/elderly-social-care-funding-cuts?newsfeed=true