Investigation reveals at least £467m will be stripped from adult care services

Chairman of the County Councils Network, Cllr Tim Oliver, has responded to an investigation by the BBC, which has revealed cuts in local authority budgets continue to grow, prompting fears that some will not be able to provide basic services, such as adult social care.

Findings from the investigation revealed that the average council now faces a £33 million predicted deficit by 2025-26, a rise of 60 percent from £20 million two years ago.

The BBC’s Shared Data Unit surveyed 190 upper-tier authorities in the UK to find out the extent of the financial difficulties facing councils, which provide services from adult social care to bin collections and pothole repairs.

It revealed council chiefs expect to be £5.2 billion short of balancing the books by April 2026, even after making £2.5 billion of planned cuts.

At least £467 million will be stripped from adult care services, which include elderly care homes, respite centres, and support services for people with disabilities, the data found.

Unison, one of the UK’s largest trade unions representing staff who provide public services in the public and private sector, said the situation meant some councils would not be able to offer the “legal minimum of care” next year.

The UK Government said decisions on the funding beyond the next financial year had not yet been made.

Recent analysis carried out by the County Councils Network (CCN) revealed that the quality and accessibility of adult social care could worsen as county areas has seen the elderly population grow significantly over the last decade.

This year, councils are closing leisure centres, reducing care packages, and raising fees for services like waste collection and parking in order to break even, according to the BBC.

Unison’s head of local government, Mike Short, said town halls were in the “direst of states”.

“This is not a sustainable situation. Local authorities simply don’t have the funds to provide even statutory services,” he said.

The investigation mirrors a survey from the CCN and the Society of County Treasurers earlier this year, which found that 40 county and unitary councils could have to save over £1 billion in 2023/24.

Cllr Tim Oliver, Chairman of the CNN, responded to the investigation: “This research by the BBC continues to demonstrate the scale of the financial challenges facing local authorities in England.

“Our own research published in March this year showed that county and rural councils needed to make over £1bn worth of savings to balance budgets in 2023/24, even after four in five reluctantly levied the maximum council tax rise.

“Despite the government increasing funding for councils over recent years, a combination of high inflation and rising demand has left county and unitary authorities facing some of their most toughest budgetary decisions to date this year.

“County authorities will do all they can this year to deliver these savings whilst protecting vital frontline services, particularly care services, but there is now little fat to cut after a decade of financial restraint and many councils are facing significant in-year overspends as a result.

“We must remember that while inflation is beginning to reduce, these costs councils have incurred won’t just disappear from our budgets overnight – they are now embedded into the future. The medium-term outlook therefore looks bleak unless these higher costs are recognised and councils are given longer term financial certainty, alongside delivering long promised reforms.”

The investigation found that, on top of cuts, town hall chiefs are expected to use up £1.1 billion of reserves to balance the books this year.

Findings from a report by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) has revealed increases in care delivered are not keeping pace with increased needs.