Author Archives: Simon Allen

Opinion: Liberal Democrats : the party of social work and social care?

Stay Well At Home Service, Evesham, BritainFirstly, I must admit that I have an interest in this subject; not only as Lead Member for Adult Social Care, and as Chair of our local Health & Wellbeing Board, but as a registered, practising social worker. This week NHS England set out an ambitious vision for the NHS over the coming five years. A vision which breaks down the barriers between GP’s and hospital care, which moves more healthcare back into the communities which desperately need it and places public health front and centre in a bid to create a Health Service fit for the 21st century.

Local government is mentioned numerous times in this visionary document. Our recently returned responsibility for Public Health will become even more significant over the next 5 years. The roles and responsibilities of Health and Wellbeing Boards are discussed as possible conduits for local commissioning and decision making. All welcome and in line with our Liberal Democratic view of the world. In this field of policy we as a party have made huge strides in the Department of Health through Paul Burstow and Norman Lamb; integrating budgets, mental health waiting times, carers’ rights and, fundamentally, the Care Act.

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Opinion: We must make the Care and Support Bill a reality

Much of the talk at the Autumn Conference in Brighton has rightly centred on the economy and we, in my opinion, are rightly sticking to Plan A and not being deviated towards Plan B or Plan V.

However, we as Liberal Democrats in government and on the ground have another area of policy in which we can make a significant and lasting change in this parliament. Social Care is not a sexy subject, it is not often at the forefront of people’s minds nor does it command a full chamber in parliament but it is vital to a liberal, fair and …

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    @Tim Rogers 19th Jul '25 - 7:52pm... John Donne..."No Man is an Island".....
  • Simon McGrath
    The Duke of Westminster often comes up. He is one of the reasons why George Osborne brought in tax on discretionary trusts - 6% of the trust value every 10 year...
  • Andrew Melmoth
    - Anders Larson There is no mystery about how the Duke of Westminster was able to largely avoid inheritance tax. He used on legal structures established by the...
  • ANDERS LARSON
    @Simon R there were probably many schemes used in combination, some domestic some international. But that doesn't answser the core problem, which is that even i...
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    @Chris Caswill - you mention the "Middle England test". Middle England is outraged by what has been happening in Gaza - it is also outraged by 7 October, but do...