THE Government has been forced to grasp the nettle of social care costs for older people but sadly for the wrong reasons and has come up with a totally inadequate solution.

First, the wrong reason: 30 years ago Margaret Thatcher introduced ‘Right to Buy’ for people living in council houses saying that people could buy their previously rented council homes and have a legacy to leave to their children. This was a really popular policy leading to many homes being sold and the new property owners becoming Tory voters. However, these very same people are now having to sell their homes to pay for social care and the promised legacy is lost. They not happy to have been misled all these years.

Second, the wrong solution: Boris Johnson has not addressed the fundamental question of how social care and health should be integrated and properly funded. He has introduced an arbitrary cap on social care costs that excludes day-to-day living costs of residential care.

The Chancellor told BBC News: "We will make sure that everyone is able to access what is called the deferred-payment agreement... which means no-one will have to sell their house in their lifetime."

But, the cost of the deferred payment will be recovered from the sale price of property and no legacy will remain. The con is that older people will not have to sell it while they are alive - but when they pass away, the council will have to recover the charge on their home because the government hasn’t provided the funding to cover their social care costs.

This is exactly what happens now for self funding social care recipients.

Older people have been contributing through taxation and National Insurance for their entire adult lives, they deserve better.

Ruth Potter,

Chaucer Street,

York