Continuing along same path “comes at a cost” to lives of people who draw on care and support: ADASS on scrapping of adult social care charging reforms

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) has shared its “disappointment” with the Government’s decision not to proceed with adult social care charging reforms, while acknowledging the absence of “sufficient time” to deliver them by October 2025.

The proposed £86,000 cap on the amount anyone in England would have to spend on their personal care over their lifetime had already been delayed by the Conservative government from October 2023 to October 2025.

On Monday (29 July), the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced that the new Government will not proceed with adult social care charging reforms.

Responding to the announcement, Melanie Williams, President of ADASS, said: “We are of course disappointed that Government has decided not to proceed with charging reform, in particular those changes that would have supported people with the least means to access state-funded care and support.

“However, the absence of allocated funding for the reforms and sufficient time to deliver them by October 2025, is why we previously called for the timeline for delivery to be reviewed.”

She continued: “Whilst it is clear that any reform of adult social care will be at a cost to the Treasury, it should not be forgotten that continuing along the same path that we are on also comes at a cost, not only in monetary terms, but most importantly to the lives of people who draw on care and support, their carers and family not able to access the care and support they are need to live the lives they want.”

Earlier this month, ADASS warned that an increase in complex and long-term care is pushing local councils to overspend.

Its 2024 Spring Survey revealed that adult social care budgets in 2023/24 were overspent by £586m - the highest levels for at least a decade.

Williams said: “Our annual survey of social care directors shows that the financial situation facing adult social care is the worst it’s been for years and that councils are struggling to meet legal duties. We need to turn the tide and collectively commit to a new approach, this Government are right to say that we need a greater focus on community and preventative care for the NHS, but this must also include social care as otherwise we will miss a key piece of the puzzle.”

Also responding to the Government’s decision to scrap the reforms, Cllr Martin Tett, Adult Social Care Spokesperson for the County Councils Network, said: “Councils have supported the principle of the adult social care charging reforms, but we have always said that they must be fully funded by the government of the day. The County Councils Network’s recent analysis showed that the costs of the reforms has spiralled to a projected £30bn in the decade after their introduction, with insufficient money committed to them. 

“The government has felt it is unable to take forward these reforms in the current Parliament and we understand that this will be frustrating to campaigners. But with no funding committed to the reforms and with councils still facing acute workforce and system pressures, introducing these changes in October 2025 could have had some catastrophic consequences for council finances, health and care systems and individuals who currently receive services. Now, the government must prioritise addressing these current pressures at the forthcoming Spending Review.”

Lottie Winson