Councils in England have recorded their highest social care overspend in a decade – £774 million as of last March.
That’s according to the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services’ Spring Survey 2025, which found that councils are being forced to cut back on early care and support to prevent people’s health and wellbeing deteriorating.
The findings highlight that underfunding could jeopardise the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England and its proposed shift towards prevention and neighbourhood-based care.
Cllr David Fothergill, Chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, said: “This survey starkly shows councils are caught in the impossible position of having to choose between meeting people’s complex care needs and supporting other people’s wellbeing to prevent their needs from escalating.
“In this situation, councils cannot deliver the Government’s ambition to shift care from hospital to community without sustainable funding for adult social care.
“Councils want to focus on prevention, and help people stay independent at home, but rising costs and more people needing access to care are forcing them to prioritise crisis care instead.
“A promise to reform adult social care must be matched by long-term investment so councils can plan, recruit and deliver services that support people to live the life they want to lead, and reduce pressure on the NHS.
“Local government is best placed to lead this shift and deliver neighbourhood-level care, but it cannot do so with one hand tied behind its back by underfunding.”