London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 16, 2026

Archbishop of Canterbury calls for leaders to fix social care

Archbishop of Canterbury calls for leaders to fix social care

The Archbishop of Canterbury has urged the government to take action to fix the country's "broken" social care system in his new year message.
The Most Reverend Justin Welby said care homes were struggling to deal with rising bills while trying to find the staff needed to keep going.

He said the country needed to "rise to the challenge" to repair the industry.

The government said in response that it was providing £7.5bn in support over the next two years.

The archbishop's televised message comes as he prepares to publish a report on the social care crisis in January, which will cover how he thinks the system can be fixed.

He has worked on the research - which has focused on ways to create a fairer social care system - for two years alongside the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.

In his message - which will be broadcast on BBC One at 12:55 GMT on Sunday - Mr Welby said: "We know our care system is broken, but it doesn't have to be. We can rise to the challenge of fixing it. That means action from all of us: you, me, families, communities, government.

"Caring goes to the heart of what it means to be human. It is hard, but it can also be the most life-giving thing we ever do. It comes back to that essential lesson: we need each other."

He added that looking after elderly relatives was a "privilege", and he would "rejoice" that his own 93-year-old mother was still alive.

And Mr Welby stressed the importance of ensuring the work of carers was properly valued by society.

Currently a care worker in England is paid on average £8,000 a year less than NHS staff with the same skills, charity research for care provider Community Integrated Solutions has suggested.

The archbishop said: "Why work as a carer when you might get paid more in less demanding jobs? Caring's certainly not easy. Good carers are wonderful people to be valued."

He said his report would offer a "hopeful vision of our society", where "no-one is held back, overlooked, or treated as a burden".

He said families and unpaid carers should get support too.

The report follows the government placing a two-year delay on reforms to the system that will see a lifetime cap on social care costs in England.

Jeremy Hunt paused the plans in November, and said the funding would instead be used to increase the adult social care and NHS budget.

If the lifetime cap goes ahead, people in England will not spend more than £86,000 on their personal care costs in their lifetime, with the government paying any additional costs.

In a statement, a Government spokesman said ministers had prioritised social care in last month's autumn statement making available up to £7.5bn in support over the next two years.

"This will allow more people to access high-quality care and help address some of the challenges in the sector - including waiting lists, low fee rates, and workforce pressures," the spokesman said.

"The government remains committed to delivering adult social care charging reform and supporting those who need it, which is why we are giving local authorities additional time to prepare and providing more funding to help with their immediate pressures."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak released a video message on social media marking the new year, in which he said he was confident "better times lie ahead" and he wanted people to feel "hopeful" going into 2023.

"I may have only had the job for several weeks at this point, but actually I feel good about the future," he said.

"I feel positive about the change that we can bring so that we can improve everyone's lives, so that we can deliver the peace of mind that people are looking for in the here and now."

Mr Sunak's video address struck a more upbeat tone than his earlier message when he said the UK's problems will not go away in 2023.
Comments

Mark Antrobus 4 year ago
The Church needs to stay out of politics, just as Jesus refused to get drawn into speaking out against the Romans.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Police Tighten Public-Order Measures After Anti-Immigration Protests in Dover and Portsmouth
UK Ministers Pressed for Answers After US Diplomat Accused of Child Abuse Images Leaves Britain
Jaguar Land Rover Pursues NATO Defense Contracts for Defender Vehicles
British Service Member Dies in Road Accident While Deployed in Ukraine
George Osborne Calls for Britain to Rejoin EU Customs Union
Anthropic Chief Dario Amodei Urges Faster UK Action on Advanced AI Risks
UK State Pension Set for 3.9% Rise Under Triple Lock
UK Labour Market Cools as Payrolled Employment Continues to Decline
Reform UK’s £72 Million in Donations Faces Scrutiny Under Proposed Retrospective Funding Rules
UK Doctors Warn Expanded Pharmacy First Scheme Could Put Patients at Risk
British Airlines Cut Short-Haul Capacity as Jet Fuel Costs Rise
UK News Publishers Forecast 40% Search Traffic Drop as AI Overviews Expand
Axel Springer Wins Approval for £575 Million Daily Telegraph Acquisition
London Mayor Sadiq Khan Opposes Heathrow Third Runway Over Climate Targets
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Leaders Hold Summit Seeking Greater Autonomy
UK Energy Price Cap Set to Rise to £1,723 in October
UK Treasury Warns Middle East Conflict Is Threatening Economic Growth
Labour Moves to Retrospectively Cap Overseas Political Donations After Reform UK Funding Surge
HMRC Warns Nearly Seven Million Adults Are Unclear About State Pension Entitlements
UK Parliament Passes Sovereign Grant Reform Before Conference Recess
British Rail Passengers Gain Automatic Right to Switch Operators During Disruptions
Burnham Hosts Downing Street Business Summit as UK Fiscal Pressure Builds
Labour Government Moves to Challenge £72 Million in Reform UK Crypto Donations
UK Advertising Industry Warns Wider Junk Food Rules Could Put £1 Billion in Media Spending at Risk
Cornwall Opens Devolution Talks With UK Government Over Transport and Local Services
UK Parliament Considers Sovereign Grant Reform Setting Royal Funding at £99.9 Million
Trades Union Congress Calls for Income-Based Energy Tariff Funded by Higher Bank Levy
UK Prime Minister Rejects Second Scottish Independence Referendum
House of Lords Begins Scrutiny of Bill to Lower UK Voting Age to 16
Anthropic Says Claude Was Exploited in Weapons-Related and State-Linked Cyber Activity
Institute of Directors Urges UK Government to Avoid Business Tax Increases in Autumn Budget
Rising Gilt Yields Cut UK Fiscal Headroom to About £13 Billion Ahead of Budget
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Services and Technology Activity Strengthen
UK Government Promises Clearer Student Loan Guidance After Repayment Backlash
Charities Warn Unpaid Carers May Die Before Receiving Government Compensation
Dover Unrest Prompts Review of UK Counter-Extremism Strategy
Celtic Summit Leaders Reassert Right to Pursue Independence From UK
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record Amid Severe Heatwaves
Harrods Faces Potential £150 Million Compensation Bill Over Al Fayed Abuse Claims
UK Parliament Opens Debate on Landmark Assisted Dying Legislation
Metropolitan Police Investigate Reform UK Over Alleged Foreign Electoral Donations
UK Economy Expands 0.4% in July as AI Investment Boosts Activity
Bank of England Signals Caution on Rates as Inflation Pressures Persist
Tesco Alerts Police After Scammers Use Its Branding in AI-Generated Fraud
Lindy Cameron Appointed First Female Permanent Under-Secretary at UK Foreign Office
UK Government to Rewrite Student Loan Guidance After Mis-Selling Criticism
Welsh First Minister Warns Andy Burnham Government to Respect Devolution
Trump’s Falkland Islands Remarks Trigger New Diplomatic Tension With Britain
Reform UK Receives Record £72 Million Donation From Cryptocurrency Billionaires
UK Bans Imports From Israeli West Bank Settlements and Sanctions Supporting Institutions
×