The Local Government Association (LGA) has responded to Age UK’s research on the delayed social care green paper.

They said: “Now is the time for answers. Every day that is spent further defining the problem and consulting on changes, is another day in which people’s lives are not being lived to the full.”

Responding to the reseearch on the delays, Cllr Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the LGA’s community wellbeing board, said: “Work to find a long-term funding solution for adult social care has been kicked into the long grass by successive governments for the past two decades.

“The current system of social care is unsustainable and will buckle under the weight of demand. With people living longer, increases in costs and decreases in funding, adult social care is at breaking point.

“This is something that the Government must address in its Green Paper on social care and in the forthcoming Spending Review.”