At ARC England, we believe that good data must underpin good policy and right now, the data is telling us that the funding gap for learning disability and autism services is widening, not closing.
Our Learning Disability Research Unit Local Authority Fee Rate Map reveals that:
- More than 90% of local authorities are paying fee rates that do not enable providers to pay the 2024/25 National Living Wage of £12.21 per hour.
- Over 80% of local authorities responded to our Freedom of Information request.
- The data shows a wide variation in fee rates across England and Wales, with many areas failing to keep pace with rising costs and annual uplifts lagging behind inflation.
For 2024/25, ARC England called for a minimum 12% uplift to fee rates for learning disability and autism services. This figure reflects the cost impact of the Autumn 2023 Budget announcement on providers before taking into account wider inflationary pressures such as energy, rent, and insurance.
However, our analysis of the data shows that average uplifts fall significantly short of this threshold across all major service types:
| Service Type | Average Fee Rate Uplift (2024/25) |
| Residential | 8.67% |
| Supported Living | 8.51% |
| Day Services | 7.39% (lowest) |
| Domiciliary Care | 9.2% |
Once again, day services have received the lowest average percentage uplift, despite facing some of the highest cost pressures and offering vital community-based support. The figures are clear: many fee rates are not covering basic legal pay obligations, let alone enabling providers to invest in quality, sustainability, or innovation.
If the government is serious about delivering neighbourhood health services that meet real community needs, then it must also be serious about funding the providers expected to deliver them.
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