THE way older and vulnerable adults are cared for in West Yorkshire should be a high priority, a candidate for the forthcoming mayoral election says.
The Liberal Democrat candidate Stewart Golton says he will make social care an urgent issue, if elected at the poll on Thursday.
“Having met and heard the concerns of providers through the Yorkshire and The Humber Care Association Alliance, I am committed to doing all I can to support social care,” he said.
“We know that here in West Yorkshire we do have a very significant proportion of our population that is advancing in years, with some having care needs.
“They deserve to know that, if elected, I will do all I can to make sure systems are in place to ensure they can get access to the care they need, where they need it and in a timely fashion.
“We have to support the sector, properly reward its workforce and make sure there is adequate supply of care available for those who need it across the county.”
Alliance member James Creegan, CEO of Kirklees Care Association (pictured), welcomed Stewart’s support.
“We are delighted that Mr Golton is supporting social care reform as a key issue at the forthcoming mayoral poll.
“If elected he would be mayor of a region with a significant number of older adults with care needs and their welfare needs to be addressed.
“Whoever is elected, the new mayor will have an important role to play in ensuring there is sufficient care available to meet a growing demand. At the moment, social care is struggling, with providers closing, 1.6m people across the country going without care and 152,000 vacancies amongst staff. If we are going to create a social care sector fit for the future, we will all need to work together to reverse the current decline.”