16 English Councils Spend Over 80% on Social Care

Sixteen local authorities in England allocated over 80% of their core funding to adult and children's social care during the 2025-26 fiscal year, underscoring significant financial strain on other essential local services. This trend represents a substantial increase from previous years, with care costs consuming a record 71.9% of combined core spending for councils responsible for these services. Specifically, adult social care accounted for 44.5% of this expenditure, while children's services comprised 27.4%.

Guardian analysis of government figures indicates that councils collectively spent a net total of £42.8 billion on adult and children’s services in 2025-26. This figure reflects a sustained upward trajectory in social care expenditure relative to overall budgets. For comparative context, in the 2017-18 fiscal year, care costs represented a smaller, though still significant, 62.4% of councils’ core spending. The current situation implies that a disproportionately large share of local government budgets is now dedicated to meeting statutory social care obligations, potentially limiting investment in areas such as infrastructure, parks, libraries, and cultural services.

The increasing reliance on core funding for social care services suggests a growing deficit in the funding models for these essential public services. Local authorities are mandated to provide social care, which includes support for elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and vulnerable children. The rising demand for these services, driven by an aging population and increasing complexity of needs, coupled with insufficient central government grants and rising inflation impacting service delivery costs, has placed immense pressure on council finances. This analysis highlights a critical juncture for local government finance in England, where the sustainability of a broad range of public services is being challenged by the escalating costs of social care.

The concentration of spending on social care means that many councils have severely restricted discretionary spending. This can lead to a reduction in the quality and availability of non-statutory services that contribute to community well-being and economic vitality. The financial pressures are particularly acute for the sixteen councils identified as spending over 80% of their core funding on care, indicating that these authorities may be operating with very little flexibility to address other local priorities or to invest in preventative services that could reduce future care costs. The situation raises concerns about the long-term viability of local service provision across England.