The old age elephant in the room | Henry Hill | The Critic Magazine

In The Critic Magazine, Henry Hill examines Andy Burnham’s pledge to advance the Casey Review and tackle social care, noting the controversy surrounding its feasibility. Hill critiques Dame Louise Casey’s review as already hampered by Treasury timelines, with first-stage reforms not expected for a decade and long-term changes extending further, as a cross-party task force debates implementation by 2036. The piece highlights the high cost of social care and the difficult funding choices, such as burdens on savers or reliance on unpaid labor. It argues Burnham’s posture is easier to make from opposition, referencing past ideas like a 2009 care levy and contrasting with Keir Starmer’s national care service pledge.