Barking and Dagenahm Councillor Juila Williams writes

One of the most common things said to councillors is “Why are we paying council tax and getting nothing for it?”

It’s a fair question, and most people will naturally assume that their council tax is mostly spent on bins and road sweeping, which is the most visible service the council offers.

But actually, most of the council’s money, including a large part of your council tax, goes on something called Adult Social Care. This is a statutory duty, which means councils are legally required to fund and provide it.  

So what does that mean?

Adult social care is not NHS care. It is care-run and funded by local councils.

It includes:

• Care homes and nursing homes

• Home carers visiting people 2-4 times a day

• Support for adults with learning disabilities

• Support for adults with physical disabilities

• Support for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

• Day centres, supported living and respite care

• Safeguarding vulnerable adults

Let’s give you an example of what I mean.  My friend Jean had to admit her mother Kathy into a nursing home 4 years ago.  Kathy is only 72 but has suffered several strokes and is showing signs of dementia.  She couldn’t look after herself at home anymore.  Jean sold Kathy’s house and is spending the money it raised on the nursing home fees.  This particular nursing home is lovely, but not luxurious.  The staff are brilliant and Kathy is perfectly happy there.  It costs just under £6,000 a month.

Obviously, if Kathy had been a council tenant, the council would have been responsible to pay these fees from the outset, because there would have been no house to sell.

Jean tells me that the money from the house will run out in the middle of 2026.  At that point, Jean will have to ask the council to fund the nursing home.  In practice, the council cannot simply refuse.  They could ask Kathy to move to a cheaper home, but to be honest she’s happy, and the costs are very similar everywhere.

So what does that mean for your council tax? Who pays for care homes like the one Kathy lives in?

• Jean will pay for it from the money raised by the sale of Kathy’s house. While someone has assets (like a house or flat), they usually have to pay for themselves, until the money runs out.

• Care homes commonly cost £4,000 to £7,000 a month and rising every year.

• When Kathy’s money runs out, the council will step in.

• Kathy will still contribute:

o Her state pension

o a small personal allowance if she can, or any relevant benefits she can get.

• The rest of the fees are paid by the council

That council funding comes primarily from your council tax and some government grants, with council tax being a major part of the local contribution.

But I thought the NHS paid for this sort of thing?

• Usually no, that’s not what happens. The NHS only pays in very specific cases under a scheme called ‘NHS Continuing Healthcare’.  

• Dementia alone often does not qualify for NHS funding.

• This is why families are often shocked when they discover the NHS isn’t paying.

But what about carers visiting people at home? Isn’t that NHS?

• It’s true that people often pay a contribution to their carers, but the true cost of those visits is much higher.

• The council pays the difference.

• That funding again comes from council tax and central government support

This is why around £7 out of every £10 the council spends every year goes on Adult Social Care and children’s services. It’s about looking after our parents, grandparents, neighbours and let’s be honest, maybe us too one day.

Of course bins, litter collection and street cleaning matter, and councils respond to those issues. But most council tax is quietly spent on care you may never see, until one day you or someone you love needs it. So when we ask, “Why am I paying council tax and seeing nothing for it?” hopefully it’s comforting to know that we are in actual fact contributing our bit to the safety net that holds our community together ‘from the cradle to the grave’.

(It’s also worth mentioning that Barking & Dagenham’s adult social care is independently recognised as being Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission. That’s a huge credit to the dedication and professionalism of our adult social care officers, and to the leadership of Cllr Maureen Worby in this area.)

Julia Williams is Councillor for Village Ward in Barking and Dagenham