Half of Devon's budget going on supporting adults

Children's services takes a further third

Half of the £785 million Devon spends on providing services looks set to be directed towards supporting adults in need.

Spending on helping people with disabilities, additional needs or problems linked to older age is expected to rise by more than eight per cent to nearly £384 million in the financial year starting in April.

The figures come from a report ahead of Devon County Council’s first cabinet meeting of 2025 next Wednesday that outlines the financial picture facing the county.

After adult social care, the next biggest portion of spending is 30 per cent – more than £237 million – on services provided by the children and young people’s futures department, which covers special educational needs and disabilities (Send) and children in care.

The council, like all local authorities, is under twin pressures of increased demand alongside rising costs.

The county council says it needs to find an additional £32 million to cover rises in the national living wage and inflation across all its services, and that it will need another £34 million to cover demand and other spending pressures.

The National Living Wage is set to rise by 6.7 per cent from £11.44 to £12.21 from April, while for 18 to 20-year-olds it will rise by 16 per cent from £8.60 to £10.

Devon County Council has identified nearly £22 million in savings, alternative funding and additional income, and said there would be additional funding of £44 million from the government.

While the council has seen an overall rise in government grants, it is far lower than previously expected.

This is because even though its main funding and grants from Westminster are rising by £5.5 million for the next financial year, Devon found out in December that it would lose £10 million from the rural services delivery grant, which the government has scrapped.

The council has also said the government’s provisional calculations of Devon’s funding assume a full increase in council tax will be agreed locally.

It can raise its proportion of council tax by 4.99 per cent without asking the public to agree to it in a referendum.  If it does so, the county would receive  around £555 million from council taxpayers next year.

Because of the weight of reliance on council tax to fund services compared to central government funding, Devon said its increase in spending power is the lowest out of England’s 21 county councils.

The report to be discussed by the council’s cabinet says it doesn’t current plan to dip into itse reserves, reflecting its strategy of “living within our means”.