Opposition Labour members of Suffolk County Council have claimed that nearly 300 people are waiting for new care packages because the authority isn't offering enough money to pay good wages to carers.

The council's first quarter budget forecast shows an expected shortfall of £6.7million on the amount that the council would have expected to pay for older people’s care.

Its “Transformation Programme” for social care is designed to enable more people to be cared for in their own homes. This improves people’s lives, and also costs less for the taxpayer.

However, Labour says there are not enough home care workers to meet the additional demand.

The shortfall in carers is being partially met by employing expensive agency workers, who are being paid from a special fund which is unlikely to be maintained. It is unclear what will happen when this fund has dried up.

Deputy Labour leader Sandy Martin said “It is clear that Suffolk County Council’s refusal to ensure that care workers are properly paid has led to a serious shortage of care workers.

"We have been trying to get the Conservatives to acknowledge this since the start of the year. It’s not rocket science – if you don’t pay people enough to live on they will not work for you.

"The first thing Suffolk County Council needs to do is to renegotiate all their contracts on the basis of all workers being paid at least the Real Living Wage.

"That is what decent councils such as Ipswich Borough Council have done, and there’s no reason for Suffolk not to do it too. The alternative is to leave older people at home without the care they need, or stuck in hospital unable to be discharged.”

Suffolk does not directly employ carers - it has contracts with companies large and small that provide the staff and set wages.

However, some councils do have a condition in contracts to say that their suppliers have to pay the Real Living Wage.

A council spokesman many authorities had struggled to provide care packages since the pandemic - but Suffolk had done better than most.

Beccy Hopfensperger, Suffolk County Council cabinet member for adult care, said: “These figures are now two and half months out of date.

Sudbury Mercury: Beccy Hopfensperger said the waiting lists for care packages had fallen since July.Beccy Hopfensperger said the waiting lists for care packages had fallen since July. (Image: Archant)

"Since July, waiting lists for home care packages have dropped by nearly 30%.

"This is in part because we have significantly increased prices paid for care in many areas of Suffolk and are working closely with the local care market, including the Suffolk Association of Independent Care Providers, to explore more ways to tackle the waiting lists.

“We recognise the pressure facing local care providers and are committed to supporting them through the challenges they are facing.”