Social care precept ‘won’t even cover’ living wage costs
0More than half of England’s 152 authorities with social care responsibilities are considering or have approved an adult social care precept in 2019/20, according to the Local Government Association.
A survey by the LGA found that 37 are set to use the full 2% precept available to them.
However, the LGA said that the extra £197m that would be raised by increased social care precepts would not even match the estimated £290m cost of paying for the government’s National Living Wage.
Richard Watts, chair of the LGA’s resources board, said: “Extra council tax income for adult social care has been helpful in recent years.
“For many that option has run out this year and the extra money the rest will raise will do little to prevent those who rely on services seeing the quality and quantity reduce.
“Raising council tax has never been the answer to fixing our chronically underfunded social care system.
“It has raised different amounts of money in different parts of the country, unrelated to need, and risked adding an extra financial burden on households.”
