ONS: UK Perspectives - Spending on public services in the UK
In response to today’s publication of these figures, Simon Bottery, Director of Policy at Independent Age, said:
"Today's figures from the ONS show that spending on health and pensions has played an increasingly prominent role as the UK's population grows and ages. But the figures also reveal that spending on personal social services has gone down over the past five years. Huge cracks are opening up in our social care system - over 360,000 elderly people have lost some form of council support in the last few years. Our recent YouGov survey showed that the country’s ageing population is seen to be one of the top three challenges facing UK society over the next 20 years, falling just behind healthcare and immigration. In the run up to the general election and beyond it is vital that politicians have an open and honest debate about how much we are prepared to pay for our rapidly ageing population."