Care Act 2014

The Care Act 2014 places a statutory duty on English county councils and unitary authorities to assess and meet the eligible care needs of adults with disabilities and older people. The Act is relevant to the 7 May 2026 elections because every council that Reform UK took control of — including Derbyshire County Council and North Yorkshire Council — inherits this obligation regardless of the incoming administration's political priorities. Reform UK cannot withdraw from the Care Act the way it can withdraw from a voluntary resettlement scheme: the duty is primary legislation binding on all top-tier authorities.

Enacted in 2014 and coming fully into force in 2015, the Care Act consolidated and reformed a patchwork of adult social care law dating back decades. It introduced a national eligibility threshold, a right to assessment on request, requirements for market shaping, and well-being principles. The Act also introduced the concept of a care cap — a ceiling on individual lifetime care costs — though that provision has been delayed repeatedly and has not been enacted as originally written.

For newly Reform-controlled councils, the Care Act creates a binding financial and legal floor that their political messaging may not reflect. Adult social care is typically the single largest item in an English county council's budget. The 22% of councils using Exceptional Financial Support from MHCLG to balance their 2026/27 budgets are largely top-tier authorities under exactly this obligation. Reform's promises of lower council tax and reduced expenditure must be read against this statutory floor — the Act does not permit councils to scale back eligible care to cut costs without facing judicial review.