THE new national 'living wage' could pose a threat to the social care of older and vulnerable adults, a care campaigner has warned.

From April next year the new National Living Wage will see everyone aged over 25 paid a minimum of £7.20, but this raise has not been matched by more funding for care providers.

Mike Padgham, chair of the Independent Care Group, said the added cost of paying the new wage could be the final straw for many struggling care providers.

“Everyone wants to see hard-working and committed care workers properly rewarded for their work,” he said.

“But the money paid by local authorities to providers to care for people in their own homes and in care homes has never been sufficient and in real terms has not kept pace with rising costs.

“More than £3.5bn has been cut from local authority budgets since 2010-11, with further cuts of at least £1.1bn forecast. This has left many social care providers struggling and seen a reduction in the amount of care being provided.

“As a country we have to see that if we want proper social care for people and to reward those providing it properly, we have to put money into the sector and that means increasing and protecting social care spending properly.”