Adult Social Care Fair Pay Agreement Is ‘Unworkable’ Without Funding LGA Says
The Local Government Association (LGA) has thrown its weight behind efforts to improve pay for adult social care workers, but has issued a stark warning that the government’s proposed Fair Pay Agreement model cannot succeed without adequate funding and meaningful local authority representation in negotiations.
As the single largest commissioners of social care in their areas, local authorities have a statutory responsibility for providing adult social care that ensures all who draw on care and support can live independently and with dignity in the places they know and love. In 2025/26, this came at a total cost of £26.7 billion to councils – a sizeable 40 per cent of local council budgets.
In its submission to the FPA in Adult Social Care consultation, conducted by the Department for Health and Social Care, the LGA calls for local government to be at the heart of the FPA process.
The Government has announced £500 million will be available for the first FPA in 2028, drawn from the £4 billion that was previously announced in the Spending Review, a figure incorporating income from council tax increases. With 1.6 million workers in adult social care potentially in scope, the LGA is concerned that even this amount would not be sufficient to cover a FPA in full and would put further pressure on already stretched council budgets.
The LGA, on behalf of all councils in England, is calling for full central government funding for all costs including implementation and consequent legal liabilities, direct local government representation within the Adult Social Care Negotiating Body (ASCNB), a full Equality Impact Assessment, and a recognition of the legal and bureaucratic burdens placed on councils.
Cllr Pete Marland, Chair of the LGA’s Local Government Resources Committee, said:
“The focus on improving pay in adult social care is important and a vital step towards securing long-term sustainability for the sector and its workforce.
“However, current funding proposal is not likely to be sufficient to cover the full cost of a Fair Pay Agreement and councils cannot be expected to fork out for the additional costs associated with implementation. Councils need assurances that all costs arising from the introduction of FPAs will be covered by central government.
“Local government has a critical role in adult social care for local people but is proposed to have minimal engagement in the development of an FPA. Local government needs to be part of decision-making to avoid a scenario where the introduction of an FPA jeopardises the supply of care and sustainability of council finances.”
