Half of councils in England have axed jobs in the last few months and seven in ten anticipate further redundancies as the recession hits local government. In some parts of the country councils are the largest employer and across the UK employ 2.2 million workers.

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Counsel and Care has called on the Government to increase investment in new technology to help more older people live in their home with safety and security. It claims that for every pound spent on telecare, five pounds could be saved on expensive hospital and residential care. Current funding for telecare in England amounts to an 80 million pound preventative technology grant to local authorities from 2006-2009.

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This document from the Department for Health outlines the pilot programme to develop personal health budgets. The pilot follows similar principles to the personal budgets for social care which are being introduced progressively.

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