What's behind rising adult social care costs in Wiltshire?
An ageing population is leading to higher demand, says the Council
Last updated 17th Jul 2025
Wiltshire Council says growing demand is the reason behind increased spending on Adult Social Care in the county.
It follows a survey by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass) which revealed recent overspends by authorities across the country was the highest in a decade.
Adass described the financial situation as "as bad as it has been in recent history" with council overspend on adult social care budgets in the year to March hitting around £774 million.
Last year, Wiltshire Council recorded an overspend of £5m.
Cabinet Member for Finance, Cllr Gavin Grant, told Greatest Hits Radio that the county's ageing population is driving budgets higher.
"The demand is going up because of the number of older people is going up, not exclusively older people, but it's mainly there," he said. "The complexity of people's needs is also going up. If you've got increased numbers and greater complexity sadly comes with greater cost."
He said the new Lib Dem administration is committed to caring for people "as best as we possibly can", aiming to keep people independent as long as possible.
"People want to stay in their own homes for as long as they possibly can, and we're committed to trying to do that."
Fix NHS by fixing social care too
The situation is leading to calls for greater Government investment in Adult Social Care.
The Prime Minister, Sir Kier Starmer and Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, unveiled a 10-year plan to fix the NHS, in which they vowed to put care on people's doorsteps.
The plan set out how the NHS will move from treatment to prevention and from hospital to more care shifted into neighbourhoods and people's homes.
Adass president Jess McGregor said: "Without more investment to keep people well and independent at home, we risk undermining the shift towards prevention and neighbourhood health that Wes Streeting, the NHS and this Government are rightly championing."
Cllr Grant told us that the Government can only fix the NHS if it works in tandem with social care.
He said: "You cannot fix the NHS without fixing social care. People who could be at a hospital and releasing beds for people who urgently need them can't get out of hospital because they don't have the care support packages that they need."
He added that Wiltshire Council will be focussing on preventative care, which includes exploring new technology and AI to help with some aspects of the work.
Cllr Grant also told us the while the Casey Commission, which was set up earlier this year, will be working urgently to implement a national care service, it's unlikely to deliver anything until the middle of the next decade in 2036.
He insisted that the authority, led by Cllr Ian Thorn, will spend every penny as effectively and efficiently as it can, while also supporting independent living and working to prevent people getting into difficulties.