London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 17, 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
Sarah Ferguson Reportedly Retreats to Late Ex-Boyfriend's Swiss Chalet
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Thieves Steal Antonello da Messina Renaissance Masterpieces From Sicilian Museum
Better.com Founder Who Fired 900 Employees on Zoom Is Ousted as CEO
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
AI Manager at San Francisco Store Recommends Firing Human Employee
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Campaigners Press Government to Strengthen Rights for Four Million Gig Workers
Government Considers Higher Private Rents to Spread Asylum Accommodation Across UK
UK Moves to Protect Historic Pubs From Conversion Into Housing and Offices
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to House of Commons
British Manufacturers Report Rising Cybersecurity Threats Across Industrial Supply Chains
Royal Navy Increases Monitoring of Russian Ships in UK Waters by 25 Percent
England Adds More Than 350 Medical Training Posts to Strengthen NHS Capacity
NHS Waiting Lists Over 52 Weeks Rise by More Than 11,000 Patients
Brent Crude Near $88 Raises Fresh UK Energy Cost Concerns
UK Treasury Warns Prolonged Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Cut 2027 Growth to 0.3 Percent
UK Economy Grows 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter as Energy and Inflation Risks Persist
UK Heatwave Triggers Emergency Alert as Government Unveils £65 Million Farm Support Package
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Takes Regional Tour to Highlight Local Infrastructure and Environmental Problems
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
Bank of England Warns Rising Inflation Could Squeeze UK Household Incomes
UK Government Announces £65 Million Aid Package for Farmers Hit by Severe Drought
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Energy Market Pressures
UK Issues Emergency Alert as Severe Wildfires Spread Across England and Wales
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
UK Small Businesses Face Continued Cash Flow and Tax Pressures
Greatham Marsh Restoration Restores Tidal Wetland in Hartlepool After More Than 200 Years
UK Health Regulator Urges University Students to Check Meningitis and Measles Vaccination Status
Mining Remediation Authority Completes Major Ground Stabilization Works in Scottish Community
UK Food Crime Investigators Seize 33 Tonnes of Illegal Food in Multi-Agency Operation
Technical Qualification Uptake Hits Record High as Advanced Mathematics Results Improve
UK Summer Temperatures on Course to Challenge Long-Standing Records, Met Office Says
UK Farmers Bring Forward Cereal Harvests as Drought Threatens Yields
×