Councils offered money for potholes, but what about social care?

English councils are to get millions of pounds in extra funding – only it’s not to plug gaps in their budgets – but for filling in potholes.

This at a time when cash is stretched to the limit: according to the Local Government Association – three quarters of councils say they’ll find it harder to set a balanced budget than last year.

And the biggest demand on resources is social care. We went to meet one family in Dudley whose child has severe medical needs – they say they’re barely coping, while the council care package isn’t nearly enough.