Social care precept to net councils £382m

Councils will raise £382m from a council tax precept to fund adult social care, but spending will only rise by £308m, according to data published by the government today.

The figures published by the Department for Communities and Local Government show that the first year of the adult social care precept, announced in last year’s Spending Review, would raise the equivalent on 2.7% of adult social care expenditure. However, funding for services was only set to rise by 2.2% compared to 2015/16.

The Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing: 2016-17 Budget report for England found that the total revenue expenditure by local authorities in England is budgeted at £94.1bn in 2016/17, a 1.4% cut from the £95.4bn budgeted in 2015/16.

As well as social care, other service areas with a planned increase in spending were children’s and families’ social care services (up £136m), police services (£143m higher) and public health services (a £175m increase).

• Local Authority Revenue Expenditure and Financing: 2016/17 Budget – England