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Raising the alarm: Latest ARC England Fee Rate Maps show 3.5% drop in fee rate uplifts and 80% of ICBs cannot state adult social care spend

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Fee Rate Maps by Local Authority
 Search our Fee Rate Maps by Local Authority

Now with eight years of freedom of information data, ARC England’s latest 2025-26 Fee Rate Maps show an average 3.5% drop in Local Authority fee rate uplifts across all learning disability and autism services.

In addition, for the first time we have obtained data that shows 80% of integrated care boards  (ICBs) cannot report their total adult social care (ASC) spend. The inability of 34 ICBs to state ASC expenditure represents a structural misalignment with every major element of the current national policy environment.

Only 8 of 42 ICBs could provide total ASC spend, revealing a major lack of financial transparency that undermines local planning and national ambitions via the Casey Commission for integrated care.

 

Fee rates fall short
LAs’ 2025-26 uplifts remain well below the 8.5% increase required to meet the 2025 Autumn Budget impacts, National Living Wage rises, employer NI increases and wider inflation impacts.

Fee Rate Maps by Integrated Care Board
Search our Fee Rate Maps by Integrated Care Board

Summary of average fee uplifts (2024-25 → 2025-26):

  • Residential Homes: 67% → 4.74% (-3.93%)
  • Domiciliary Care: 51% → 5.28% (-3.23%)
  • Supported Living: 2% → 5.41% (-3.79%)
  • Day Services: 39% → 4.47% (-2.92%)

Large disparities persist between local authorities, with the highest paying councils offering two to five times more than the lowest. Our new league tables rank LAs by fee rates and uplifts for the first time.

Providers report:

  • Unsustainable packages are being handed back.
  • Reserves are being used to subsidise real costs, pushing margins to 1-2% or deficit levels.
  • Providers working across multiple LAs must cross‑subsidisebetween areas.
  • Base rates often don’t cover actual costs, even when uplift percentages seem reasonable.

This contributes to a worsening crisis where funding decisions begin with available budgets rather than needs, contrary to the Care Act 2014.

ARC England Director Sam Leonard says, “These findings expose a system running blind. A 3.5% drop in this year’s council fee rate uplifts is alarming enough, but the fact that four out of five Integrated Care Boards cannot state their adult social care spend should concern every leader in the country.”

A critical moment
With rising pay, employer costs and complexity, Government must fund councils adequately to meet statutory duties. ARC England would welcome working with DHSC and the Casey Commission to improve data and system understanding.

The inability of 34 ICBs to state ASC expenditure exposes major governance and integration risks and threatens preparedness for upcoming reforms.

Method:
FOI requests were sent to all 42 ICBs and 173 LAs; response rates were 76% and 73% respectively. Data has been visualised in new interactive maps.

Thank you to our ARC England Learning Disability Research Unit colleagues whose work helped shape the FOI request approach and to Polimapper, our data visualisation partner.

 

ENDS

 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

 

ARC England:  

ARC England (Association for Real Change) is the membership organisation for learning disability and autism providers. We support knowledge development, improve practice and influence policy in health and social care for the benefit of people with learning disabilities or other support needs such as autism, mental health problems, sensory and physical disabilities.

 

Please direct all enquiries and interview requests to Relationship and Communications Manager Liz Collins liz.collins@arcuk.org.uk T: 07375 095470