Council chiefs are warning that more than half the revenue raised from council tax will soon be spent on social care services putting other services at risk.
New analysis from the Local Government Association (LGA) shows that for every £1 of council tax collected by councils in 2019/20, 60p will be sent on care. By contrast, 1p for every £1 will be spent on street cleaning and flood defences, with less than 5p spent on funding libraries, parks and leisure centres.
The figures mean the average Band D council tax payer will be contributing almost £800 per year on social care and just under £16 per year on street cleaning and flood defences.
Chair of the LGA, Cllr David Sparks, said: ‘The reality is that, within a few years, well over half of the council tax everyone pays will have to be spent on social care.
‘With demand on these life and death services continuing to rise and funding from central government continuing to fall, councils will have little choice but to squeeze budgets for libraries, roads and street lighting.’
