ARC explain that…’The Association for Reach Change (ARC England) Learning Disability Research Unit have produced a Local Authority Fee Rate Map, which shows that in many cases fee rates do not cover the cost of care.
Over 80% of local authorities provided their fee rate data in response to our Freedom of Information request the map shows a wide variation in fee rates between areas in England and Wales.
Many local authorities’ fee rates have fallen behind provider costs and that annual uplifts have not kept pace with inflationary pressures.
Inflation and cost of living pressures have combined with the requirement that providers meet annual National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage increases to mean some services are now financially unsustainable.’
The report says this ‘could’ lead to people with learning disability and autistic people no longer being supported to live well within their communities’ – we would change this ‘could’ to ‘is already’ leading to people not being supported to live well.