Local authorities in England will increase spending on adult social care services faster than any other sector next in the current 2016-17 financial year.
Across England, adult social care spending will increase by 2.2% from £14.1 billion in 2015-16 to £14.4 billion in 2016-17.
This is the first year authorities have been able to use the Adult Social Care Precept. The amount of expenditure to be financed from the precept is £382 million.
The increase is being promised despite total local authority spending falling by 1.1% from £113 billion to £111.9 billion.
Social care, of which around two-thirds is accounted for by adult services including care homes, and the remainder by children’s services takes up 19.9% of local authority budgets in 2016-17.
