You haven't used this form for a while - to protect your data, the form session will expire soon
Your cookie preferences were saved
0042 2025/26
07/10/2025
Adult Social Care and Health
All wards
Voluntary Sector Providers Fees and Rates 2025-26
This report proposes fees & rates uplifts for all voluntary care sector providers for the FY 2025-26 and seeks permission to implement the proposed fees and rates.
The purpose of this report is to provide the Director of Adult Social Services with the proposed fees & rates for all voluntary sector organisations delivering services on behalf of the Council to residents across the borough for the FY 2025/26. This will be communicated to providers once this decision has been communicated to the Council. Several options were modelled to consider the degree of support provided to the voluntary sector to manage increased costs. The financial implication of each option was considered in the context of the Council’s overall financial position.
The proposed fee increases across the provider market for 2025/26 range from 4.7% to 8.7% and are based on a single fee rate. It is the view of the Council that this will support in creating a fair sustainable market across the care sector. The care market in St Helens continues to operate at almost full capacity and the approach to fee setting has considered the balance between occupancy rates and costs, (pay rates, employer’s national insurance contributions (ENIC) and inflation). Pay increases were circa 7% from April 2025, and the average of the inflation indices CPI at November 2024 was 3.7%, with rates on an upward trend and increased economic uncertainty. ENIC increased from April 2025 from 13.8% to 15% and the threshold for ENIC dropped from £9,100 to £5,000. Given the care market is operating at almost maximum capacity it is imperative that the Council ensures that voluntary sector care and support providers are able to respond to an increasing demand for universal services to support pressures across the wider health &Social Care system. Several options were modelled to consider the degree of support provided to the market to manage increased costs. The financial implication of each option was considered in the context of the Council’s overall financial position and with reference to benchmarking undertaken with the wider north west region. It is proposed that the in borough voluntary sector care and support providers receive an uplift of 5% for the FY 2025/26. This will be back dated to 1 April 2025. In setting a balanced budget commissioners have given consideration to local factors and priorities when making decisions about the use of resources. Whilst St Helens works closely with neighbouring authorities and regional partners, the Council continues to make decisions based on local need. There are a wide range of local factors that make direct comparison challenging and, at times, inappropriate, including the baseline rate and size of the market. The Council’s rates for 2025/26 benchmark reasonably against those of other north-west authorities.
The Director of Adult Social Services (DASS) is asked to approve the proposed fees and rates structure for the voluntary sector for 2025/26. It is the view of the Council that this will support in creating a fair sustainable voluntary care sector market across the sector and encourage a focus on quality. In addition to this the proposed fees and rates have been modelled subject to budget constraints and the financial environment within which the Council operates.
There is a risk that voluntary sector care and support providers could approach the Council in year to request uplifts to support inflationary pressures. In addition to this any requests for fee uplifts from out of borough providers may exceed the budgetary provision and introduce an additional financial pressure during 2025/26.
Any significant financial risks will be reviewed in partnership with the Finance Business Partner and within the context of the current financial challenges faced by the Council.
None
Download
Please contact Darren Persand on
Share this page
Print
