Adult social care precept 2018/19
Adult social care is one of the main services provided by Hampshire County Council. Councils nationwide are facing substantial cost pressures in providing adult social care services. This is due to:
- increasing numbers of people requiring care
- the rising cost of providing care
- cuts to Government grants which were used to fund social care
To help fund these pressures, the Government expects councils responsible for providing adult social care services to have an adult social care precept (precept is a technical term for council tax).
Our total budget for adults’ social care and health in 2018/19 is £497.5 million. The precept which has been set for 2018/19 and the previous two years will raise £44m towards this. Other sources of funding which help fund adult social care include ordinary council tax, government grants and service charges.
- Key information
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The precept is part of council tax rather than a service charge, so is not linked to whether or not you receive social care services.
If you pay for care services you receive, the precept does not replace these charges.The precept is included in your council tax bill so is collected as part of your usual council tax payments.
- How the precept is shown on council tax bills
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Hampshire County Council’s council tax is split into two separate lines on council tax bills. The “adult social care precept” line shows the amounts of the council tax increases from 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 which are being used to help fund adult social care pressures.
This presentation on council tax bills, including how the percentage increases are shown, is required by Government legislation and is being used throughout England.
It would be preferable to just show one total amount on bills for Hampshire County Council, especially as a large amount of ordinary council tax revenues are also used to fund social care, but unfortunately we are not permitted to do this.
- How the precept increase is calculated
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Hampshire County Council’s total council tax this year has increased by 5.99%. Funding for adult social care pressures accounts for 3% of this. The remaining 2.99% is being used to help fund all of the services the county council provides.
The example below shows how the increase is calculated. The amounts in the example are for a Band D property.
Hampshire County Council’s total 2017/18 council tax = £1,133.10
Plus: Increase for all county council services = £33.88 (£1,133.10 X 2.99%)
Plus: Increase specifically for adult social care = £33.98 (£1,133.10 X 3%)
Equals: Hampshire County Council’s total 2018/19 council tax = £1,200.96 (total increase of 5.99% compared to 2017/18)- £87.10 of the £1,200.96 is being used to help fund adult social care pressures and is split out and shown separately on the bill.