Adult Social Care Fairer Contributions Policy changes with effect April 2025

Adult Social Care services are paid for by the county council with contributions from the individuals it supports. People can be charged for their care and asked to contribute in line with their financial circumstances.

The council wants to make sure its fairer contributions policy is clear, accessible, and fair, to support individuals with choice and control over their care. In 2024, it held a public consultation to ask residents’ opinions on potential ways the policy could be changed, to help understand what would have the most positive impact for people with care and support needs, and how the policy could be fairer for everyone.

Council’s cabinet approved changes with effect from April 2025, which may allow some people to keep more of their income. They are:

• increasing the Minimum Income Guarantee for everyone with care and support needs by £5, and;
• disregarding the difference between higher rate and standard rate of the daily living element of Personal Independence Payments;

when assessing how much someone with care and support needs should pay towards their care.

Cabinet also approved an option to introduce an administration fee at some point in the future, for people who pay the full cost of their care but ask the council to arrange care and support services on their behalf.  

All proposed changes were subject to the revised Fairer Contributions Policy receiving the necessary funding when the council’s 2025-2026 budget was set by full council in February 2025. The funding was confirmed on 19 February and the changes will go ahead as planned from April 2025.

If you would like to find out more about the Adult Social Care Fairer Contributions Policy Consultation please visit http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/fairer-contributions-policy