Alsager's MP, Sarah Russell, has welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham's plan to reform social care unveiled this week.

The PM's plan is centred around creating a National Care Service for England, based on the principle that essential personal care should be available according to need rather than the ability to pay.

Congleton MP Sarah Russell, whose constituency includes Alsager, said: "The current system is not working. I meet so many people in our community who are worried about how they will pay for social care, or who have a vulnerable parent who is not receiving the quality or consistency of care that they need.

" It is horribly stressful for both the person receiving the care, and their wider family. This is a bold vision about how we fix that, with a protected State Pension that rises every year, no care charges and a National Care Service that provides older people with free personal care to give everyone peace of mind in later life.

"We will honour our manifesto commitment and keep the pensions triple lock throughout this Parliament. That means the State Pension is set to rise by over £2,000 a year, reaching almost 30 per cent of average earnings by the end of the decade – the highest it has ever been.

"The National Care Service will be founded on the same principles as the NHS, where everyone contributes and everyone is covered. It will be paid for in large part by reforming the pensions triple lock from April 2030: The pensions triple lock will remain throughout this Parliament as promised.

"From April 2030, we will guarantee the State Pension will rise every year by either inflation, or 2.5 per cent, whichever is higher. This will ensure pensioners are protected and the State Pension retains this record high value relative to earnings over time."

She added: "Baroness Louise Casey's review will advise us on exactly how and when we bring in and build up the National Care Service.

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"I will hold engagement events with the community to discuss the social care proposals and feed into that review prior to its publication late next year.

"In the meantime if anyone is having difficulties with social care, please get in touch with my office and we will be pleased to help. You can contact me at [email protected] or on 0207 2196638."

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