Counting the cost of adult social care as councils set spending budgets

Local Authorities are facing a huge challenge with the rising need for adult social care Credit: ITV News Anglia

How to fund adult social care is a question on the lips of all councils as they finalise their budgets for the next financial year.

Watch a report by ITV News Anglia's Kate Prout.

The Local Government Association says nationally adult social care is facing a £2.3 billion funding gap by 2020.

Woodspring House care home in Fakenham, Norfolk specialises in dementia care and the 28 residents here either pay for their own care or are supported by Norfolk County Council.

This week Norfolk County Council met to discuss its budget for the next financial year and like many other local authorities, decided to put up council tax by 6%, half of that rise is for adult social care.

This year's budget sees an extra £40 million being put aside for caring for the older generation.

  • Norfolk County Council spends £1 million per day on adult social care.

Norfolk is not alone, Hertfordshire County Council has put in a 10 year accommodation strategy until 2027.

The County Council predicts that by 2025 if they carry on providing services as they do now, they will need an extra 3,900 nursing, residential and flexicare housing places.

But they want to commission services to provide care for people to allow them to stay in their own home and live as independently as possible and are looking at the way they provide care.

By 2025 they say there will be 237,600 over 65s in the county, in 2017 there were 201,300.

Essex County Council is also looking at huge growth in its older population.

  • 61% growth in over 85 population by 2030 in Essex

  • Central Beds Council predicts the number of people over 65 will rise by 47% by 2030.