Kensington and Chelsea Council is considering introducing a new fee for residents who pay for their own adult social care but ask the council for help arranging it. The council estimates this new fee could save £150,000 in 2026/27.

The proposal, known as a self-funder administration fee , is part of the council's efforts to address a significant budget shortfall, potentially reaching £140 million by 2029/30. The Adult Social Care & Health Select Committee discussed the proposal at a meeting on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, as part of a broader review of budget proposals for the 2026/27 financial year.

The council faces a budget gap of £41.5 million in 2026/27, which could rise to £140 million by 2029/30. Balancing the budget will require reducing costs or increasing income, including potential changes to council tax.

The proposed fee aims to recover the costs incurred by the council in arranging care for individuals who are not eligible for council-funded support but still seek assistance in setting up and monitoring their private care arrangements. This includes helping self-funders set up and monitor their care. According to the Adult Social Care and Health Budget Proposals 2026/27, the proposal is subject to consultation. The Public Reports Pack also contains further information.

The council has a legal obligation under the Equality Act 2010 to consider the impact of its proposals on equality. An initial equalities impact analysis suggests that most of the proposals are expected to have a neutral or positive impact. However, the self-funder administration fee has been assessed as having a negative impact because self-funders' savings are too high for council-funded care, but they can still ask the council to set up and monitor their care arrangements. The council says that, subject to consultation, this could entail recovering the cost of arranging and monitoring self-funders' care. Details are available in the Public Reports Pack.

The council is also proposing other savings measures, including enhanced management of voids in learning disability services, a more flexible model for short breaks for mental health and learning disability service users, and ongoing reviews of processes and ways of working. One saving with 'unknown equalities impacts' is 'Redirecting Public Health Funding'. According to the Adult Social Care and Health Budget Proposals 2026/27, Work is under way to develop this proposal as detailed in Appendix 2. Equality Impact Assessments will be completed for the finalised proposals to ensure any potential impacts on residents or staff are appropriately considered. More details are available in the Budget Proposals 2026-27 document.