Statement concerning adult social care funding

The government has published a letter updating on how the adult social care precept is shown on council tax bills. 

The Council Tax (Demand Notices and Prescribed Classes of Dwellings)(England)(Amendment) Regulations 2025 means we no longer need to include bespoke information on the adult social care precept on council tax bills from 1 April 2025 to 2026.

Adult social care precept from April 2016 until March 2025

The government has allowed councils that provide social care to adults to increase their share of council tax.

This additional council tax charge is called the adult social care precept.

This started in 2016 and it is a government requirement that this precept is shown as a separate line on the bill with an amount that is the total for this additional precept, rather than the total spend on adult social care.

The 3% increase shown on the bill is an increase on the whole Kent County Council (KCC) amount, which results in a total KCC increase of 2.998% (or 3.0% when rounded to one decimal place).

The percentage increase is calculated by the total for KCC and the adult social care precept.

Adult social care precept amounts

2024/2025

The total precept is £1,610.82 (£1,377.81 plus £233.01)

2023/2024

The total precept is £1,534.23 (£1,331.82 plus £202.41)

2022/2023

The total precept was £1,461.24 (£1,287.99 plus £173.25)

2021/2022

The total precept was £1,418.76 (£1,259.64 plus £159.12) 

2020/2021

The total precept was £1,351.26 (£1,232.64 plus £118.62)

2019/2020

The total precept was £1,299.42 (£1,206.72 plus £92.70)

2018/2019

The total precept was £1,237.68 (£1,169.64 plus £68.04)

2017/2018

The total precept was £1,178.82 (£1,134.36 plus £44.46)

2016/2017

The total precept was £1,135.55 (£1,111.77 plus £21.78)

The income generated is ring fenced, meaning it can only be used for adult social care services.

KCC is the local authority that provides adult social services, and we collect this charge on their behalf.