What is the Adult Social Care Precept?
The Adult Social Care Precept is one element that makes up your total Council Tax bill.
Other elements include money for the Police and Crime Commissioner, and your local parish or town council.
Funds raised through the Adult Social Care Precept are ring-fenced for spending on adult social care, guaranteeing a pot of money to spend on supporting those who need it most.
Each year, Government tells councils the maximum amount they can increase the Adult Social Care Precept as a percentage of the previous year’s total Council Tax bill.
For 2023/24, Government set this at 2% and Suffolk County Council chose to apply the full 2% increase.
How is the Adult Social Care precept calculated?
We will use the example of a Band D property.
Your bill may vary, depending on the Council Tax Band of your house and where you live in Suffolk.
Your total Council Tax bill for 2022/23 = £1,438.92
The Adult Social Care Precept element of that bill = £159.75
For 2023/24, Suffolk County Council will increase its Adult Social Care Precept element, by 2% of your total Council Tax bill for 2022/23.
2% of your total Council Tax bill for 2022/23 (£1,438.92):
£1,438.92 x 0.02 = £28.78
Therefore, your Adult Social Care Precept element for 2023/24 will be £188.53:
£159.75 + £28.78 = £188.53
If we only look at the percentage increase of the Adult Social Care Precept element from 2022/23 (£159.75) to 2023/24 (£188.53), it is 18.02%.
However, the Adult Social Care Precept element for 2023/24 (£188.53) has increased by 2.00% (£28.78) of the total Council Tax bill for 2022/23 (£1,438.92).
This is why a 2% increase is listed on your bill for 2023/24.
How is this shown on my Council Tax bill?
The 2.00% listed on your bill refers to the increase (£28.78) taken from your total Council Tax bill for 2022/23 (£1,438.92), and not a 2% increase of the Adult Social Care Precept element from 2022/23 (£159.75).
The Adult Social Care Precept element must be expressed as the percentage increase (2%) of your total Council Tax bill for the previous year 2022/23 (£1,438.92).
This is how Government prescribes that Council Tax charges must be shown on a bill, to ensure consistency across the country.
Therefore, it is not shown as the increase of just the Adult Social Care Precept element from 2022/23 to 2023/24 (18.02%).
Billing Authorities (such as the Anglia Revenue Partnership and Suffolk Revenue Partnership) do not have the ability to put any further details onto the face of the bill, which is why we have provided this additional explanation on our website.