Published Thursday 20 August 2026 at 15:07
Blackburn with Darwen residents urged to join the national conversation on care before it closes on Sunday 20 September
It could be your mum, needing help to get washed and dressed each morning. Your partner, living with dementia. Or you, one day, needing support to carry on living independently in your own home. Adult social care isn’t a distant policy issue, it’s already part of daily life for thousands of families in Blackburn with Darwen, and it will touch almost all of us eventually, whether we end up using it, providing it, or caring for someone who needs it.
For the first time in a generation, everyone is being asked how the system should work in future and Blackburn with Darwen residents have a direct chance to help decide, before the national conversation closes on Sunday 20 September.
Across the borough, adult social care already supports over 2,600 people with care packages, helping older people, disabled people and those with long-term health conditions to live independently and safely. Alongside this, more than 13,000 unpaid carers across Blackburn with Darwen give their time every day to look after a family member or friend.
It’s a service the council is proud of and one it’s determined to keep strengthening. In 2025/26 the council spent £79.4m on adult social care, around 45% of its entire budget, making it one of the single biggest areas of council spending. With the number of over-65s in the borough having grown by more than 20% since the 2011 Census, demand for care is only set to increase in the years ahead.
This isn’t a question for someday, it’s a real issue for the thousands of people already receiving care today, and for many more of us in the years to come.
That’s why Blackburn with Darwen Council is backing the Casey Commission’s Big Conversation on Care, a national conversation gathering views from people across England to help shape recommendations for the future of adult social care. The council wants to make sure local voices are heard as part of it, and that residents’ experience of care here in the borough helps inform what happens next.
Have your say
The Big Conversation on Care is asking one question:
“When we’re old, disabled or seriously ill, who should support us and how?”
To take part, residents can register online, share their own thoughts in 140 words, and vote on ideas and suggestions submitted by others. Thousands of responses have already been shared.
Jackie Floyd, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health, said:
As a former nurse, I’ve provided care to many residents across the borough, and I’ve seen first-hand the variety of support and services people need at different stages of their adult lives.
Adult social care will touch all of us at some point, whether that’s through using care services ourselves, caring for a loved one, working in the sector, or simply having a view on how care should be delivered.
We’re proud of the support we provide here in Blackburn with Darwen, and this is a real opportunity to make it even stronger. The more people who join the conversation, whether by sharing their own thoughts or voting on others’, the better the picture we’ll have of what matters most to people.
I encourage everyone in Blackburn with Darwen to take this opportunity and share their thoughts on adult social care. Not just for themselves but for everyone they care about.
Take part before Sunday 20 September
The Big Conversation on Care closes on Sunday 20 September. To take part and find out more, visit: caseycommission.co.uk/bigconversation/take-part
The Big Conversation on Care is being run by the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, led by Baroness Louise Casey, who was asked by the Prime Minister to consider how adult social care should change to meet the needs of current and future generations, and to make recommendations to transform the system for the long term.
All the views gathered through the Big Conversation will be brought together with other evidence collected by the Commission, to help inform its recommendations to Government on the future of adult social care.
About IPSOS
The Big Conversation is being delivered with Ipsos, an independent organisation with expertise in research. Ipsos also manages a number of independent organisations with expertise in research, public participation and engagement. Together, they will help ensure the conversation reaches people from a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and communities across England.