At the age of 93, Clifford Smith should be reflecting proudly on a long, successful life full of personal and professional achievement.
As the first chief executive of the combined Suffolk County Council, Clifford was one of the most important figures in the county’s recent history.
His legacy is written large across Suffolk: The Orwell Bridge, the river crossing now being built in Lowestoft, the way Ipswich has developed in recent years, the very structure of our local government. After he retired in 1990, he was awarded the CBE for his achievements.
Clifford and June, his wife of nearly 70 years, have a large and very close family. Three daughters, six grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren.
A very full life, very well lived.
But Clifford’s summing-up of his current situation is startling. He says: “I feel a failure.”
He feels this way because of the dreadful toll his beloved June’s struggle with dementia is taking on their lives, both emotionally and financially. He feels trapped, and powerless.
June was diagnosed with vascular dementia a decade ago, and now Clifford is facing the daily emotional and financial struggle of living with the situation.
He visits June in her care home every day, and they hold hands for a couple of hours. Each time, soon after he arrives, there is a brief moment of recognition. June looks into his eyes, and says: “It’s you!”
But after that, nothing. No recognition, no conversation, just silence. Eventually, Clifford leaves, and June is upset. So is he.
He says: “That takes all of my county council pension, all of my state pension, and all of June’s state pension.”
Clifford has been told all along that, because he has income and some savings, he will not receive any financial help. It is a situation many thousands of other families find themselves in.
At his great age, Clifford’s mind is still razor-sharp, but he does have some health issues.
Every six weeks, he has to visit Ipswich Hospital for a blood transfusion.
He has been told that he will need care before too long. He says: “People ask me why I don’t move into the same care home as June. But then my costs would double to more than £120,000 a year.
“I feel a failure. I feel that way because I won’t be able to leave my children their inheritance, because I can’t even take my wife to Felixstowe in the car, and because I can’t remedy any of this situation.”
Currently, the rules say that anyone with assets above £24,000 has to pay for care. That figure will change to £100,000 in 2025.
Clifford says: “Boris Johnson, when he became Prime Minister, said he would sort out the social care situation once and for all. But now the Health Secretary has deferred doing anything about it for another couple of years.
“If I could wave a magic wand, I would change this. Those people with dementia would be in the same category as, for example, someone who has gone blind, and wouldn’t have to pay.”
In November, Mr. Hunt deferred changes to social care which, among other measures, would have capped the amount any individual had to pay to a total of £86,000.
In terms of his home, Clifford has downsized twice since June’s diagnosis. The couple sold their home in Ipswich to move to an apartment in Woodbridge and, more recently, he moved to a small flat in east Ipswich.
But even so, he estimates his current, modest apartment is worth about £150,000 - well above the threshold for free care. He also has some savings.
Clifford’s current plight has a sad irony. He and his team created the social services department when East and West Suffolk County Councils became one authority in 1974.
Clifford was the first chief executive of the new county council and ran it for 16 years. Among his achievements was the reshaping of local government to one county authority and a small number of boroughs and districts. Previously there were dozens of small councils.
Clifford and his colleagues challenged government thinking about the future of Ipswich.
The town was due to double in size, but instead the Orwell Bridge was built, enabling development to the east of Ipswich such as Grange Farm at Kesgrave, and allowing the huge expansion of Felixstowe Port.
When he first came to Suffolk, to work as a planner for the former East Suffolk County Council, he designed the road patterns for a new river crossing at Lowestoft, which is now taking shape in the form of the Gull Wing Bridge. His legacy for Suffolk is very significant.
Clifford accompanied the Queen when she officially opened the Post Office Research Centre at Martlesham, now BT. Clifford and June met Princess Diana when she visited the Suffolk Show in 1986.
In April, Clifford and June - who met when they worked together for Grimsby Council - will have been married for 70 years. Their romance blossomed in early 1952, just as
Queen Elizabeth began her record-breaking reign. They married in April 1953.
Sadly, their platinum anniversary will be like every other day. “I will go to see June, and we will hold hands. But she won’t be aware of anything.”
He admits that the visits upset him, and says people have suggested that he shouldn’t go so often. But, as he says: “How can I go less often? We’ve been together for 70 years.”
Clifford says everyone he speaks to agrees his sad situation is wrong. “They all say it’s deplorable, but can’t do anything about it except offer sympathy. Maybe my story will help to change things, and improve the situation for others.”
Ipswich's MP Tom Hunt said: "I feel strongly for Clifford and June. Sadly they’re not alone in experiencing this. It’s a cruel lottery. It’s wrong that if you get some kinds of life threatening illnesses the state steps in to cover the costs but if you get dementia many people have to cover the often colossal costs themselves with very little support from the state.
"Having a loved one with dementia is one of the most emotionally difficult things to go through. Having on top of this all of the anxiety associated with how to pay for the support needed for your loved one often makes it unbearable.
"Watching your life savings and assets which you’ve spent much of your life accumulating being eroded at the same time as you’re already going through an emotionally extremely difficult situation associated with a loved one having dementia is something that needs to be urgently addressed.
"My personal view is that when families are going through extremely difficult moments like when you or your loved one have dementia the state should be there to support you and to assist.
"We’ve heard many plans for a cap in costs to be placed on social care costs and the sooner this comes the better. It would make a difference to millions and take a huge weight of anxiety off the shoulders of many.”
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