Liberal Democrats Demand Action over National and Local Social Care Crisis

The Liberal Democrats have called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to fix Britain’s crumbling social care system as new party analysis reveals that family contributions to local authority care soared 60% over five years to £4.68bn, with care now consuming 78% of council budgets.

​The severe national crisis is hitting hard in the East Riding of Yorkshire, where the local council was recently hit with a damning "inadequate" rating by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

​Lib Dem Councillor Jayne Phoenix, member of the  Health scrutiny committee at East Riding of Yorkshire council said:

​"I'm pleased to hear Sir Ed Davey's recent demands for Prime Minister Andy Burnham to fix the 'social care catastrophe' as this holds acute resonance for East Riding, which was recently rated inadequate by the CQC.

​"Local Liberal Democrats are using this announcement to pressure the Conservative-run council, demanding reform and urgent local action to alleviate the burden on family carers.

​"The Care Quality Commission (CQC) handed East Riding of Yorkshire Council a damning inspection report, citing unacceptable delays, issues supporting young adults with complex needs, and shortfalls in staffing.

​"Sir Ed Davey is challenging the PM to prioritize social care, highlighting a 60% spike in family care costs and pushing for national cross-party consensus. For East Riding, we need the government to fund local services properly. With Burnham promising to 'spend political capital' on a National Care Service, local campaigners in Bridlington and the wider East Riding are watching to see if this national push trickles down to ease immense local pressures." 

​Escalating Pressure on Hospitals and Families

​The care shortage has created massive bottlenecks in the NHS, leading to a record 2.46 million lost hospital bed days in 2026 due to delayed discharges.

​Warning that inaction is leaving elderly people bedbound and families stripped of their savings, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey MP called for an immediate cross-party effort:

​"The social care crisis is a catastrophe for families, for the NHS and for local services. Commentators and politicians pontificate as to why Britain feels ungovernable and in decline. I'll give them the answer: it's the refusal to grasp the nettle of care.

​"We are stuck with a system that better resembles the 1920s than the 2020s... Liberal Democrats stand ready to work across party lines to tackle this existential crisis. For carers and for our country. Nothing matters more."

​To solve the crisis, the party has set out three tests for government reform: guaranteed rights and better financial support for family carers, a universal safety net offering free personal care, and protection against catastrophic costs.

​Liberal Democrat Health & Social Care Spokesperson Helen Morgan MP urged ministers to act without delay:

​"Through supporting family carers we can finally recognise the millions of people looking after their loved ones and protect them from poverty and exhaustion... The cost of inaction is simply too great, we must act with courage, put aside party politics, and end the social care disaster once and for all."