Crisis-hit council unveils swathe of planned cuts to adult care services

Financially stricken Hampshire County Council has announced a swathe of proposals for cuts to adult care services in an attempt to stave off the threat of insolvency.

Last year the leader of the Tory-led council, Rob Humby, wrote a joint letter to the prime minister with the leader of Kent County Council warning that they could be forced to declare effective bankruptcy due to rising pressures and a lack of government funding, before Birmingham became the latest and largest council to declare bankruptcy last month.

Introducing the planned cuts, a council report published last week stated: ‘2025/26 represents the crunch point for the County Council’s budget, either the Government steps in with additional funding or legislates to reduce the range of statutory responsibilities that we are required to undertake.

‘It is helpful therefore that stakeholders recognise that these are not problems we can fix on our own and that the Government must intervene if we and the whole of the local government sector are to avoid financial meltdown.’

The bulk of the proposed savings would take effect in 2025/26, though some would begin to have an effect in 2024/25.

The council is planning to save £2.1bn by terminating adult social care funding for independent sexual violence advocacy (ISVA) and rape and sexual abuse counselling (RASAC) services, as well as social inclusion based homelessness support services.

This measure is expected to cut the council’s total funding by six percent for ISVA and by ten percent for RASAC, potentially leading to increased waiting times for their services. The cuts to homelessness support services could lead to homeless hostels closing if alternative funding can’t be found.

Among other proposals are:

• £620k cut to the infrastructure grant for voluntary services
• Increasing the amount taken into account for adult care charges from 95% to 100% of an individual’s assessable income
• Staffing cuts to the council’s reablement service
• Cuts to supported employment services for people with learning disabilities
• Cuts to council-funded transport for younger adults with care needs
• Reviewing length of stay in high cost home care packages

However, the biggest savings, worth billions of pounds a year, are set to be achieved by greater use of ‘strength-based’ approaches in adult care services. This involves making more use of care technology, family, friends, community and personal resources as an alternative to formal care and support – which could increase pressures on unpaid family carers.

Image: Matheus Ferrero