• £15.5 million will help local authorities prepare for adult social care charging reform in October 2023
• Adult social care reforms will change how social care is paid for and will protect people from unpredictable care costs across England
• Charging reform forms part of the wider social care reform which will reduce pressure on the NHS, helping the government continue to tackle the Covid backlogs

More than £15 million will be given to local authorities across England today (Wednesday 15 June) to help them implement new social care charging reforms to bring an end to the unpredictable cost of care for the public.

The introduction of charging reform, which will include a cap on the cost of care and a more generous means test, will result in an increase in demand for additional assessments and will require local authorities to upgrade IT systems to record and maintain care accounts.

The £15.5 million will be shared by local authorities to hire additional staff, prepare their workforce, and recruit dedicated IT staff to oversee the implementation of the care accounts.

This is the first portion of funding for local authorities, and further support will be made available later to strengthen capacity and to support implementation of technology that can support charging reform.

An additional £2.9 million of funding will also be distributed across trailblazer local authorities to cover the costs of implementing charging reform early. The trailblazing authorities are areas that have been selected to ensure any insight, evidence and lessons learned from this initiative will be useful to providers and authorities to support the rollout in all parts of England.

Social care staff worked incredibly hard during the pandemic and wider social care reforms will bolster staff numbers, enabling them to provide greater support in the community – keeping people out of hospitals and reducing pressure on the NHS.

Wider social care reforms will better integrate the health and care systems, supporting earlier discharge from hospitals into the community and free up hospital beds to increase NHS capacity and tackle the Covid backlogs.

Minister for Care, Gillian Keegan said:

Our charging reforms will mean no one will have to face unpredictable and often catastrophic care costs and this new funding will help local authorities to implement these vital changes.

We’re committed to fair and high-quality care, and this is the beginning of our journey of reform, creating the next step in making our ambitious plans a reality.

We’re working closely with local authorities, providers and care receivers to deliver a smooth transition into the new system to end unpredictable cost of care for the public.

The Health and Social Care Levy will raise more than £5.4 billion for adult social care reforms which includes £3.6 billion to reform the way people pay for their social care charging reform to ensure the new system is fair and responsible, balancing government support and the need for people to be responsible for their future care needs.

This is part of wider reforms backed by £39 billion to clear the Covid backlogs and reform social care, helping people to access care when they need it in the community and reducing pressure on the NHS.

Adult social care charging reform includes a new lifetime cap of £86,000 on the amount anyone in England will need to spend on their personal care, alongside a more generous means test for local authority financial support.

The transformed social care charging system, which includes a significant increase in state support, will apply to people in both residential and at-home care. This will ensure adult social care is fair and accessible to all those who need it, and will protect people from unpredictable care costs.

From October 2023 no-one starting to receive care will pay more than £86,000 over their lifetime, and no-one with assets of less than £20,000 will have to make any contribution from their savings or housing wealth – up from £14,250. Anyone with assets between £20,000 and £100,000 will be eligible for some means-tested support with the upper limit more than four times the current limit.

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Manny Manfred was 30 years old, married with a young son and living in Warminster when the telephone rang and the codeword for recall came through. At the time he was a Sergeant in ‘A’ Company of 3rd Battalion of The Parachute Regiment.

Immediately he packed his bags and headed for the barracks in Tidworth, Hampshire, where his unit was based. Within 72 hours the unit had moved to Southampton to board a P&O cruise ship to set sail south to play their part in the Falklands War. Lasting 74 days, the conflict was the first military action since the Second World War that utilised all elements of the Armed Forces, with 255 British personnel losing their lives.

As a Platoon Sergeant with 3 PARA, Manny was at the centre of the conflict and has been drawing on his first-hand experiences to deliver his Falkland’s presentation to audiences since 1986. His largest audience to date was 700 schoolchildren in Brecon during Armed Forces Week and his most far-flung was on a cruise ship having just left the Falkland Islands. HM Tower of London before a formal dinner in such splendid surroundings is Manny’s most memorable.

Manny, who is a member of RFCA for Wales, estimates that between 12,000 to 15,000 people have heard his presentation, which he delivers around 12 times a year. He regularly presents to regular and reserve personnel at the Infantry Battle School in Brecon.

This year is the 40th anniversary and there are some very poignant lessons that are still valuable for today’s generation of soldiers. It’s the physical hardship that requires our soldiers to be robust and well trained and the ability to project force some distance away under challenging weather conditions. More importantly, the anniversary brings the chance for veterans to join together and relive shared experiences

said Manny.

One of his first memories was of walking up the gangway on a requisitioned luxury cruiser – while pot plants and deckchairs which had been used by holidaymakers only days earlier were being taken off on another gangway. The military bands were parading up and down the quayside and there was an unreal sense of occasion.

Well, it was a bit Rolls Royce. Some people go in aircraft, some people go in military ships but we had a luxury cruise liner that was requisitioned from trade. Three major units and attached arms were to travel on the SS Canberra, over 2,000 army, navy and Royal Marine personnel. Ammunition and other supplies were being loaded onto the ship before we sailed

said Manny.

Belonging to a regiment with parachute in the title, it might be assumed that your expected entry to a battlefield would be from the air. But Manny and his companions found themselves on the Canberra near Ascension Island, practicing a new skill – beach landings from landing craft, ahead of their assault onto the Falklands.

It was really strange for the first time in my career to undertake beach landings using assault craft which we’d seen in films for many, many years. Effectively, it felt like it was the battle of Normandy in the Second World War all over again.

I find that the lessons that come from the Falklands are mainly about the men themselves and the need to have well trained, robust individuals.

People often ask me, weren’t you frightened? Well …you undergo comprehensive, rigorous training and the fear is there; it’s ever-present. When you are in a situation like that it’s how you manage that fear and how you control it and how it’s affecting your subordinates – those in your platoon. We move forward and the training kicks in and you just get the job done. It’s a common phrase but getting the job done was so important, overcoming the elements, overcoming the enemy and taking our objectives.

As a member of RFCA for Wales, Manny believes it’s important that people who have experiences that are of value to today’s generation, use them wherever possible. After 20 years of fighting in desert type conditions, the army are still transitioning their training to fight in a more conventional environment. To quote an Instructor from Brecon –

getting the mindset out of the desert and back into the trees. Manny’s experiences are valuable in achieving this.

I take every opportunity to deliver my Falkland’s presentation and my experiences of the conflict to RFCA for Wales organisations….and I will keep doing them as long as I am able to and while the feedback is still positive. After almost 45 years in uniform, I feel it is time to give something back!

One of the reasons I came into politics was thanks to a 12-year-old boy called ‘Billy’.

Before I was elected to Parliament in 2015, I spent nearly two decades working in criminal courts as a barrister. In one of my earliest cases, I was sent to a Youth Court to represent ‘Billy’ for an opportunistic commercial burglary.  

I arrived at court to find Billy there, completely alone, with no appropriate adult. It was his first offence and he was terrified.  

When I asked him whether mum or dad were coming to court, he replied “I’ve never known my dad and my mum will be flat-out drunk on the floor”.  

It was 09.30 in the morning…  

With that first criminal conviction, twenty years ago, Billy’s diminishing life chances could be predicted with depressing certainty – as could the harms for society that his future offending would mean.  

Two decades later, it is the mission of this government to make our streets safer and it follows that modernising the criminal justice system is a priority. I welcome this opportunity to share the Government’s ambitious plans for delivering on these aims in partnership with you. 

We want to prevent harm from happening in the first place. If we can prevent young people from being ensnared in a life of crime, we spare the pain of potential victims and we save the taxpayer £billions-a-year on services such as policing, children’s social care, courts and even detention.   

These costs continue into adulthood as 80 percent of prolific adult offenders commit their first crimes as children. It is therefore in our best interests to try to stop harm from happening in childhood – not just for today and tomorrow, but for the decades to come. 

This is why last month, we announced our new £60m “Turnaround” early intervention programme which will support up to 20,000 more children in England and Wales. It will target those at risk of criminality before they start a cycle of offending which, if left unaddressed, can escalate towards more serious crime.  

This is just one part of our determined efforts to tackle youth offending. Our ten-year, £200m Youth Endowment Fund is not only funding intervention programmes but it is evaluating what works to help local commissioners spend tax-payers’ money on the most effective interventions – again, modernising our processes to ensure the best results for the public. To back this up, in the MoJ alone, we will be investing a total of over £300m over three years to tackle youth offending.  

We have already seen a dramatic reduction in the last decade of children entering custody, down by 2/3rds, but we want to go further. This is not only the right thing to do for the children themselves, it is also the right thing to do for society, helping to make our streets safer.  

As part of this intervention and prevention work, one of the most pressing facts that we must confront in criminal justice is racial disparity. In 2020/21, two thirds of children arrested in London were from minority ethnic groups. We are working at all stages in the youth justice system to address disparities, including helping youth justice services to understand the needs of ethnic minority children; tightening the tests applied to ensure that custodial remand for children is a last resort; and improving the diversity and training of Youth Custody Service staff to maximise the chances of rehabilitating young people in custody.  

We are also working with the Metropolitan Police to trial the automatic receipt of legal advice for children in Brixton and Wembley custody suites. This will mean that vulnerable children, a disproportionate number of who are from a minority ethnic background, will receive the legal advice they need automatically – an “opt out” model, as opposed to the usual “opt in” model, removing the perception some may have that they have to ask for help. If successful, this trial could be rolled out further to help ensure that justice is served. 

Our work in the adult system includes our detailed cross-government responses to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparity report, the David Lammy Review and our Race Action Programme for prisons and probation. Some of the actions taken include reform of prison processes that led to unexplained disparities, better support for ethnic minority-led services, and encouraging diversity in our court and prisons workforces. This is vital work for a justice system in the 21st century. 

One of the areas in criminal justice which is seeing the most modernisation is our work to tackle violence against women and girls. I have the responsibility of drawing this work together across government, focusing particularly on the treatment of rape and sexual violence cases.  

Last year will be remembered for the shocking murders of women going about their lives – walking home from a friend’s, or out for a drink, attending a party in the park or walking their dog. These appalling murders led to a national conversation about women’s experiences and what we can all do to stop this.  

We wanted women and girls to help shape our new national Strategy to Tackle Violence Against Women and Girls. We re-opened the government’s consultation and, in just two weeks, we received 160,000 responses – an unprecedented level which demonstrated the public’s anger and expectation that things must change. 

We published the new cross-government strategy last summer and its work is well underway. For example, a new public communications campaign – #Enough – has been launched to break the biases and attitudes that contribute towards these crimes. Again, this work is about preventing the harm from happening in the first place. 

But where horrific offences such as rape and sexual violence are committed, the criminal justice system must respond quickly, effectively and justly. Last year, we conducted a forensic examination of each stage of the criminal justice process, from the moment a victim reports such a crime to the police, to the moment the case results in a conviction or acquittal. We published the End-To-End Rape Review and have identified eight levers which can help secure justice for more victims. 

These include:  

… rolling out suspect-focused investigations techniques across police forces and the CPS; so that the suspect’s behaviour is examined not the victim’s credibility 

… addressing victims’ concerns about handing over their phones to the police for sometimes days or weeks on end through our investment in modern technology and new disclosure guidelines;  

… increasing victim support funding to £185 million by 2025,  

… raising the number of specialist Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisors by 43 percent – a vital service for victims that not only helps them recover but also helps them stay the course with an investigation or prosecution;  

… and rolling out pre-recorded cross-examination and re-examination nationally to improve the court experience for vulnerable witnesses and help them to provide their best evidence. 

We are measuring all of this through transparent reporting of data both nationally and locally, via local Criminal Justice Board areas so that we and the public can see what is happening in their local areas.  

The early signs of progress are encouraging… 

… The police are referring more rape cases to the CPS… 

… More people are being prosecuted…  

… The average number of days for adult rape cases from the CPS charging a suspect to the case being completed has continued to fall, down by 5 weeks since the peak in June 2021. 

… And convictions for rape are up 67 percent compared to 2020. 

But there is more to do – and you will hear more in the coming days and weeks on our efforts to modernise further the criminal justice response to these devasting crimes. 

Finally, I would like to talk about prisons. We need a criminal justice system that stands up for victims, delivers swift justice and protects the public by imprisoning offenders and rehabilitating them. We set out our plans in for the prison estate in the prisons strategy white paper in December. I would like to thank everyone who responded to the consultation and I am pleased to announce that we published the response yesterday.  

… It’s what the public wants and expects to see. 

… So, we are toughening sentences. 

… We are creating new prison places. 

… And we’re investing £3.8 billion pounds over the next three years that will be used to build modern prisons that prioritise the rehabilitation of offenders. 

HMP Five Wells is an example of what the modern prison estate will look like. With 24 workshops available – more than any other prison in the country – and cutting-edge tech that puts education, training and jobs at its core, prisoners will be given the right opportunities to turn over a new leaf. 

Because, as you know, all these factors are proven to cut crime, reduce reoffending and protect the public. 

And we’re confident that following the same prison blueprint at HMP Fosse Way, when it opens next year, will allow even more offenders to spend their time preparing to give back to society on release. 

We know, however, that our vision for the next generation of prisons is unachievable without the brilliant people that run them, and work in them. Our workforce will grow considerably as we recruit up to 5,000 new officers in line with prison expansion across the public and private estate. 

We are committed to supporting our staff so that they are equipped with the right skills to meet the diverse needs of prisoners in a safe, decent, and secure environment. 

And in order to retain the talent and experience the Prison Service attracts, we have developed a number of new interventions. These include a supervision pilot which is now live in two prisons, a leadership training pilot – where attrition is highest, and two new mentoring and budding schemes which are being rolled out across all prisons. 

An extended part of our reducing reoffending work is tackling the scourge of drugs. If we are to stop prison from being a revolving door for repeat offenders, ensuring drugs don’t get into the hands of prisoners is also of the upmost importance. 

As explained in the Prisons Strategy, we’re taking a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach to the smuggling of illicit items such as drugs, weapons, and mobile phones, which fuel crime and violence behind bars. 

That’s why we have invested £100 million pounds in security over the last three years. We know that body scanners in prisons in England and Wales have foiled twenty thousand plots to smuggle drugs, phones and weapons into jails. 

We want to build on this and so are investing an additional £25 million in new technology and security measures to detect the very latest handsets tucked away in the crevices of cells, as well as microscopic smears of illegal substances such as spice on prisoners’ mail. 

And more of the most challenging prisons will be kitted out with the full range of the most up-to-date, innovative technology specially designed to keep contraband out of prisons – including airport-style baggage scanners. 

As we tackle the conveyance of drugs into prisons, we are also supporting offenders to face up to and beat their substance misuse issues. 

And under our plans outlined in the Prison Strategy White Paper, all prisoners will have access to a full range of high-quality treatment, including abstinence-based treatment options as soon as they arrive at custody. 

When offenders overcome their addictions, they have the best chance of keeping on the straight and narrow once released and our streets become safer as a result. 

We know that education and employment reduce reoffending significantly, with prison leavers in employment being nine percentage points less likely to reoffend. Despite this, only one in seven prison leavers have a job within six months after release.  

To change this, we are delivering a Prisoner Education Service within this parliament to raise prisoners’ levels of numeracy, literacy, skills and qualifications with the aim of helping them secure jobs or apprenticeships on their release.  
  To do this, we must give prisons the tools they need to succeed. We will invest in digital infrastructure, more training that delivers the skills employers need, more education experts to support Governors and improved support for prisoners with additional learning needs.  

And we are introducing apprenticeships into our prison system for the first time that will not only cut crime and reduce reoffending, but also address local labour shortages.  

We are ensuring prisons are equipped to offer the training and work experience offenders need to secure jobs once released, which we know is another powerful tool in our fight against crime. 

We are rolling out Employment Advisory Board employment hubs in every resettlement prison which link offenders with job opportunities on the outside. I have seen for myself the success of these innovative schemes at HMP Lincoln and HMP Thorn Cross.    

We will deliver a presumption in favour of offering offenders the chance to work in prison, on Release on Temporary Licence and on release, including by building stronger links with employers. 

And we have listened to prisoners and campaigners in recognising the value of family  

Research shows that if a prisoner receives visits by a partner or family member, the odds of reoffending are 39 percent lower than for prisoners who do not. 

So, we’re designing prisons, introducing innovative schemes and reforming regimes to factor this in across the prison estate. HMP Five Wells for instance has a family area, a homework club and facilities that allow prisoners to join parents’ evenings. 

And for female offenders who are sent to custody for short sentences, our new £10 million-pound residential women’s centre in Swansea – opening in 2024 – will support many to live healthy, crime-free lives, whilst keeping them closer to their own community and families. 

In closing, I want to thank all of you for your dedication to improving the criminal justice system. 

Justice isn’t easy. 

Justice takes work. 

But together we can fight for the victims who feel voiceless… 

…Neighbourhoods that feel neglected… 

…And offenders who need the right opportunity to go straight. 

Together, we can make our streets safer for us all. 

From increasing the number of people convicted for rape offences, to getting more prisoners job-ready with their backs turned on crime for good – working together gives us the greatest chance of achieving lasting change for the justice system.

Currently, over 1.4 million pensioners in Britain receive Pension Credit. However, many are still not claiming this extra financial help that can be worth over £3,300 a year.

It comes as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) today held its second annual Pension Credit Day of Action as part of a new advertising campaign.

DWP will also be providing leaflets for local communities, while businesses can also get involved in the campaign by spreading the word to their customers using the department’s digital toolkit and encouraging them to call the claim line between the hours of 8am to 6pm.

All State Pension recipients will continue to receive reminders about Pension Credit in the post as part of the department’s annual uprating communications.

Minister for Pensions Guy Opperman said: 

We recognise the challenges some pensioners will be facing with the cost of living which is why promoting Pension Credit is a priority.

We’re calling on everyone with retired family, friends and loved ones to check in with them and see if they can get this extra financial support, which could make a huge difference to people’s everyday lives.

Martin Lewis, founder and chair of MoneySavingExpert.com, said:

Amidst the cost of living crisis, it’s a national tragedy that getting on for a million pensioners are missing out on a major income boost. My simple rule of thumb is if you (or someone you know) are aged 66 or older, and have total income of under roughly £200 a week, get online or call the Pension Credit claim line to see if you’re due a payment that can be as much as £3,300 a year. I’m not saying everyone will get it, but many will, and it only takes a few minutes to find out. So don’t stall, just call.

And not only is this serious money, it’s also often a gateway entitlement that means you’re due a range of other support, such as council tax reductions, the £650 extra energy funding help, warm home discount, housing benefit, dental and optical treatments and, for the over-75s, a free TV licence. So again, don’t stall, just call!

Rich Mackenzie, DWP Visiting Officer, said:

Many people who could claim Pension Credit aren’t.

I would appeal to anyone who comes into contact with pensioners to ask how much they know about Pension Credit. It could be something that helps, and in the current financial climate, there’s no doubt that more people will experience hardship.

Pension Credit won’t solve every problem, but it will go a long way to alleviating difficulties. It should be a collective endeavour for us all.

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:

At a time when millions of people are struggling with the rising cost of living, it’s more important than ever that people are getting the support they’re entitled to.

Pension Credit can be a really important boost for older people who are struggling with a low income. Citizens Advice can help you to understand if you might be eligible and advise you on how to make a claim.

The campaign also includes tackling some of the myths that may stop people applying, such as how having savings, a pension or owning a home are not necessarily barriers to receiving Pension Credit.

It also reminds people that even a small award can provide access to a wide range of other benefits – such as help with housing costs, council tax or heating bills. For those over 75, this includes continued entitlement to a free TV licence.

Pension Credit can be claimed by phone and online, ensuring that older people can apply safely and easily, wherever they are. The online Pension Credit calculator is also on hand to help pensioners check if they’re likely to be eligible and get an estimate of what they may receive.

Pension Credit is designed to help with daily living costs for people over State Pension age and on a low income, though you do not need to be in receipt of State Pension to receive it.

It tops up a person’s income to a minimum of £182.60 per week for single pensioners and to £278.70 for couples.

• Pension Credit is designed to help with daily living costs for people over State Pension age and on a low income, though you do not need to be in receipt of State Pension to receive it
• It tops up a person’s income to a minimum of £182.60 per week for single pensioners or £278.70 for couples
• People receiving any amount of Pension Credit can also get help with other costs including rent (via Housing Benefit), council tax and heating. Those over 75 qualify for a free TV licence
• Up to an estimated 850,000 eligible households are not claiming Pension Credit worth £1.7 billion
• Those seeking more information can use the free online calculator, to check eligibility or to claim, visit the Pension Credit page or call 0800 99 1234

Pension Credit recipients by region (as of August 2021)

Region	Number of recipients
North East	76970
North West	182877
Yorkshire and the Humber	124942
East Midlands	99405
West Midlands	137254
East of England	113316
London	186565
South East	150488
South West	116363
Wales	84631
Scotland	129671

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