Adult social care
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has made an offer to adult social care authorities. (“Adult social care authorities” are local authorities which have functions under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014, namely county councils in England, district councils for an area in England for which there is no county council, London borough councils, the Common Council of the City of London and the Council of the Isles of Scilly.)
The offer is the option of an adult social care authority being able to charge an additional “precept” on its council tax for financial years beginning in 2016 without holding a referendum, to assist the authority in meeting expenditure on adult social care. Subject to the annual approval of the House of Commons, the Secretary of State intends to offer the option of charging this “precept” at an appropriate level in each financial year up to and including the financial year 2024-25.
The Secretary of State indicated that he would seek to put in place a revised approach for the display of information in subsequent years. His policy for the year 2017-18 onwards is that in relation to the authority that has used the adult social care precept since 2016-17 the notice must contain the following information
- The amount of Council tax set by the County Council excluding any Adult Social Care precept charged in the financial year to which the notice relates;
- The total amount of Adult Social Care precept charged since the scheme began in 2016-17 i.e. the accumulative amount.
- The percentage increase contributed to the County Council’s overall change in its basic amount of council tax for the financial year showing a) the percentage change to the County precept and b) the percentage change relating to the Adult Social Care precept.