WITH so much bad economic news and everyone waiting for the euro to go up (or down) in flames, the other huge problem has taken a bit of a backseat. The silver timebomb.

As we report on page 14 and 15, local authorities responsible for delivering social care could soon be spending half of their entire revenue budget on adult social care.

In the case of Dorset County Council for instance, that would be around £140m based on today’s figures. As life expectancy increases, the bill for care of the elderly is rocketing and only last week the government came under renewed pressure to reform the system.

The figures should frighten all of us, not just local council finance heads. Two million people will be added to the numbers requiring care in the next 20 years. The government – preoccupied with more high-profile problems – is clearly out of touch with the scale and urgency of the crisis.

But the timebomb is ticking.