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Doubling tax on gambling companies could fund pay rise for care workers say Welsh Lib Dems

24 Feb 2023 3 minute read
The Welsh Liberal Democrats say a pay rise for care workers could be funded by doubling tax on gambling companies.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for a pay rise for care workers to be funded by doubling the amount of tax paid by gambling companies operating out of the UK.

The party has calculated the plan would generate the £56 million needed to increase social care salaries and would help tackle staff shortages in social care.

A 2021 estimate by Social Care Wales put the number of social care positions vacant in Wales at 5,581, representing around 6.1 per cent of the total workforce.

These chronic staff shortages are leading to patients being stuck in hospitals waiting for social care, causing bed blocking and contributing to record-breaking waits in A&E and dangerous ambulance delays.

The Welsh Government announced the minimum wage for social care staff would rise to £9.90 per hour in December 2021 at an estimated cost of £43 million.

A further uplift to £10.90 an hour is expected by June this year at a cost of £70 million.

Hike

Under Liberal Democrat proposals, Wales would receive £56 million to spend on social care salaries via the Barnett Formula funded by raising remote gaming duty from 21% to 42%.

According to the latest HMRC figures, it raised £970 million in 2021-22 with remote gaming duty stood at 21% and the Welsh Lib Dems proposed hike to 42% would raise an additional £970m.

Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “Ambulance delays in Wales are continuously at record highs and are causing real harm every week.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats have consistently been at the forefront of reminding the Government that if we want the crisis in A&E to be solved, we need to solve the crisis in social care and free up hospital beds by moving medically-fit patients into social care.

“Too many people are stranded in hospital beds because there simply aren’t enough care workers to look after them at home or in a care home.

“The social care crisis is having a devastating impact on vulnerable people’s wellbeing and piling pressure on our already-stretched hospitals and GP surgeries.

“The first step to fixing this mess is to pay those working in social care more, to prevent the exodus of workers to supermarkets and other better-paid jobs. I have seen first-hand the incredible job that care workers do day in and day out. This is a skilled and crucial job and it should be paid more.”


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Russell
Russell
1 year ago

Welsh Tories will be along in a moment to accuse this idea of being anti-English, anti-business, and says Wales is ‘closed for business’

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