Whoever takes over Kent County Council (KCC) after the election on May 1, one of the most pressing issues to be addressed is that of adult social care.

With an ageing population and advancements in medicine prolonging life, the bill for looking after older people has been rising steadily for decades. We asked the leading parties what they would do.

Most local councils in England will argue funding from central government has been inadequate to cover those costs.

In the next three or so years, all 14 councils in Kent will be abolished and replaced by three, possibly more, much bigger unitary authorities.

But, whichever model is adopted, those costs are likely to keep on rising.

KCC says it spends £35 in every £100 on adult/older people’s social care. Add in those services provided for looking after children and the bill is more like £60 in every £100.

A huge chunk of its £1.4bn annual budget is spent on a tiny proportion of the county’s 1.6m residents.

The County Councils’ Network (CCN) recently reported that 51% of local councils are now more likely to be forced to cut adult social care services, such as care homes, care at home or support for voluntary and charitable organisations.

Half of those authorities surveyed also said they will be forced to adjust the eligibility for adult social care.

There has also been a push for older people to carry on living at home if possible.

Charities who look after vulnerable people have warned that two changes in employers’ national insurance contributions have added pressure on the support that can be provided.

The five main political parties set out their stalls for the provision of adult social care…

The Conservative Party says…

Conservative Kent has prioritised Adult Social Care to meet the needs of our growing elderly and disabled population, as well as those with significant mental health challenges.

Over the past four years, we’ve invested record sums to enhance services while transforming delivery to protect taxpayers. By embracing cutting-edge home care technology, we’re enabling thousands to live happier, healthier lives at home, saving millions of pounds.

We’re strengthening ties with the NHS to deliver seamless health and care services, and our new prevention strategy is designed to reduce hospital admissions.

However, the Labour Government’s damaging tax on jobs threatens care homes, hospices, home care, and sheltered housing providers. We’re collaborating closely with the care sector to bolster their financial stability and are actively campaigning for a government policy reversal.

We will continue leveraging innovative technology and community support to ensure cost-effective services that deliver the best outcomes for vulnerable adults. Our deepened NHS partnership will also support those with health issues to return to work. In areas like Kent’s coastal regions, where public health challenges are acute, we’ll focus on improving outcomes.

With Adult Social Care accounting for approaching half our budget, only a financially prudent KCC can sustain high-quality services for the elderly and disabled. The Conservative council’s proven experience ensures we can deliver these vital services effectively, safeguarding the well-being of our most vulnerable residents.

The Labour Party says…

Kent Labour will embed the Integrated Care Strategy into every relevant KCC decision to prioritise public health and person-centred care — helping people live enriched, happier lives.

For too long, KCC has allowed large private companies to dominate social care.

These firms see support services as profit-making ventures, where public money pays chief executives’ bonuses and shareholder dividends. People needing care are treated as numbers, not individuals.

The largest contracts — particularly in adult social care — have gone to these corporate giants. In contrast, Kent Labour has worked with the Association for Public Service Excellence to create a hybrid model for domiciliary care, combining in-house provision with smaller, local providers. This fosters healthy competition and keeps the focus on people, not profits.

Other councils already co-deliver services with micro-providers who offer tailored, local support — models Kent Labour will champion.

We will also bring back community wardens — trusted local figures who offer support and guidance — replacing the costly ‘navigator’ contract under the Conservatives, which relies on faceless call centres.

Kent Labour will work with government and NHS to improve outcomes and invest in prevention. We build fully-costed alternative budgets with KCC officers each year, focusing on early intervention to save money in the long term — reinvesting savings into front-line services, not company profits.

We also recognise the thousands of unpaid carers in Kent—often family and friends. Kent Labour will support them with financial help and the wraparound support they deserve.

The Liberal Democrat Party says…

Nothing is more important than how we care for our most vulnerable people, including adults who need care. All of us at some point in our lives will either need care of some kind, most likely in our older years, or have relatives who will.

Care is a greater challenge for KCC every year because our population is ageing. The post-war generation are living into old age with more complex combinations of health and care needs. These often call for costly individual care packages. A declining birthrate over decades means there are more older people in relation to the number people of working age people today to work in care or pay taxes to fund it.

Care is also for people, of any age, who have a disability that may need some help. Investment in preventative care is essential. By intervening early, we can help people maintain their independence for longer.

We need to support unpaid carers by providing them with financial help, respite care and training. Our party leader, Ed Davey, has made this a core issue for Liberal Democrats.

He has spoken publicly about his childhood experience as a young carer for his mother and now as a carer for his disabled son.

There are families like the Davey family all over Kent who need KCC’s support.

Recruiting and retaining staff is crucial as the care sector is short of people. Brexit has not helped as many EU citizens who worked in care have left or are no longer attracted to live in the UK. We would ask the government to try to change that.

We also need to ensure good wages, training and career progression to make the vital, skilled work of care is a more attractive career.

The Green Party says…

Adult social care is in a mess after failures by central government to properly fund care, failures to improve public health, a failure to properly integrate services with the NHS and failures to reign in the excessive and untaxed profits made by the large care home chains.

While we can fight for a better funding settlement from the government, we are unlikely to get one. We will improve public health but the impact will take decades to see.

However, we can work more closely with the NHS on integrated services and we can start to provide our own care rather than lining corporate wallets.

Bringing health and care services closer together in our communities not only improves the quality of care and prevents people falling between service gaps but it will also save money. We need to learn from countries such as the Netherlands where they have single teams caring for residents at home whether their needs are health or long-term care.

They work closely with GPs, hospitals and relatives to ensure that people get care and treatment during illness followed by rehabilitation and long-term care afterwards. That is efficient and effective.

We can also start to provide our own care homes and sheltered accommodation, cutting out the profits that the corporations rake off while ensuring accountability and efficiency for the service. This model worked until the 1980s when it became political expedient to privatise services, a political decision that we can start to reverse.

Reform UK says…

Social care is broken — and it affects us all, from our 20s to retirement. The Tories promised funding, only to funnel it into a mismanaged NHS.

What did we get? Longer NHS waiting lists, cancelled operations, ambulances stuck outside A&E and corridor wards and bed blocking because care homes can’t cope

The NHS has become more focused on bureaucracy than patient care. This isn’t just bad policy — it’s inhumane.

We are calling for full funding for social care, not in 2028 — but now, a properly-resourced regulator CQC to protect the vulnerable, NI tax rises must not force care homes to close — especially in Kent, and an end to the conversion of care homes into migrant centres.

We must explore council-led care solutions, whether in-house or private, with transparent pricing. We're only overpaying because the system is broken.

What do you think should be done? Send your views to letters@thekmgroup.co.uk