In total, £10.8 billion was allocated to local authorities in the 23/24 financial year to allow councils to fulfil the key objectives of the Better Care Fund. This means ‘enabling people to stay well, safe and independent at home for longer, and provide ‘the right care in the right place at the right time’. Additionally, the fund aims to help with ‘maintaining the NHS’s contribution to adult social care and investment in NHS-commissioned out-of-hospital services.
Mobility specialists, EMS Lifts, analysed the amounts each council area had budgeted and compared it to the amount spent to see which areas had the most pressure on their care services.
London was one of 3 regions which had higher actual expenditure than the amount of income allocated for care funding.
Although the Midlands had both the highest allocation and expenditure altogether, they had the lowest deficit with a difference of £5.4 million. The East of England was second with a £7.5 million deficit. London saw the highest total difference between their actual expenditure and their income, with a difference of £18.1 million overall.
Region
Income
Actual Expenditure
Midlands
£2,324,751,404
£2,330,201,201
North East and Yorkshire
£1,921,102,629
£1,908,238,876
London
£1,614,888,106
£1,633,023,710
North West
£1,649,414,543
£1,599,108,101
South East
£1,237,303,748
£1,233,052,822
East of England
£1,139,593,593
£1,147,125,643
South West
£1,007,927,518
£924,526,295
Grand Total
£10,894,981,541
£10,775,276,648
When the individual Local Authorities across London were examined, Ealing were found to have the highest overspend, with care costs spiralling to an additional £21.1 million over their planned costs.
Of the 33 councils, 25 found their costs surpassing their budgeted spend, although of the 10 with the highest overspend, Ealing was the only council to pass the million mark. The closest was Brent council, with £873,970 spent in addition to their budget.
Region
Income
Actual Expenditure
Overspend
Ealing
£125,376,645
£146,496,367
£21,119,722
Brent
£50,987,471
£51,861,441
£873,970
Hackney
£47,592,777
£48,430,801
£838,024
Lambeth
£51,305,268
£52,001,560
£696,292
Hounslow
£39,376,142
£40,028,598
£652,456
Kensington and Chelsea
£28,196,885
£28,774,544
£577,659
Enfield
£44,794,699
£45,120,696
£325,997
Harrow
£29,709,291
£30,002,290
£292,999
Barnet
£47,238,548
£47,490,252
£251,704
Greenwich
£46,968,899
£47,218,187
£249,288
5 of the remaining 8 councils spent less than their budgeted amount, with Camden managing to save the most, spending £8.5 million less.
Region
Income
Actual Expenditure
Underspend
Camden
£49,339,574
£40,774,682
-£8,564,892
Hillingdon
£96,534,619
£95,331,419
-£1,203,200
Croydon
£46,889,320
£46,445,320
-£444,000
City of London
£1,303,408
£1,259,845
-£43,563
Hammersmith and Fulham
£41,932,973
£41,909,331
-£23,642
Tower Hamlets
£62,661,922
£62,661,922
£0
Merton
£23,961,056
£23,961,056
£0
Islington
£42,560,162
£42,560,162
£0
Matthew Armstrong of EMS Lifts commented on the results of the analysis.
“The amount of expenditure through these care programmes has increased year on year since 2021, and while it’s great to see local authorities aiding the communities they govern, the rising costs speak to the increasing need for care in local areas.
“The fund’s purpose also helps to take strain from the NHS’s direct budget, which is an incredibly valuable cause while the health service is under such massive pressure.
“That 98 out of the 152 local authorities spent more on provision than their income allocation, however, shows that if care costs continue to rise as they have in the available data, then it may become increasingly difficult for councils to find the funding needed to help meet their care aims.”
