Councils in England paid home care agencies an average of £25.05 an hour in 2025/26, and care homes an average of £956 a week without nursing and £1,089 a week with nursing, for people aged 65 and over. Rates vary widely: home care ranges from £18.45 an hour in Harrow to £31.82 in Hertfordshire. This page lists what every one of England’s 152 councils with social care duties reported paying, from the Department of Health and Social Care’s provider fee data.
At a glance
- England average 2025/26: £25.05 an hour for home care (+5.3%), £956 a week for a care home (+5.3%), £1,089 a week for a nursing home (+4.9%).
- Lowest home care rates: Harrow (£18.45), Ealing (£19.47), Barnet (£19.85).
- Highest home care rates: Hertfordshire (£31.82), Oxfordshire (£30.26), Derbyshire (£29.75).
- London boroughs pay less for home care (median £22.85 an hour) than councils elsewhere (median £24.40), but more for care homes.
- People who pay for their own care are usually charged much more: about £33.50 an hour for home care and £1,400 a week for a care home.
Why council rates matter to you
- If the council arranges your care, it pays the provider its own rate. If the care home you choose costs more, someone (usually a relative) may be asked to pay a top-up.
- If you pay for your own care, you will usually pay more than the council rate for the same care. You can ask the council to arrange care for you even if you are paying, but there may be a fee and not every provider accepts council rates.
- If you get a direct payment, it is usually based on the council’s rate, which can make it hard to buy care from agencies charging self-funder prices.
Find care your council will fund. Every listing shows its CQC rating. Search by postcode →
What every council pays (2025/26)
Home care per contact hour, and care homes per week for people aged 65 and over. “Change” compares home care with 2024/25. Select a council to see its guide to paying for care.
| Council | Home care an hour | Change | Care home a week | Nursing home a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | £22.85 | +4.6% | £1,063 | £1,057 |
| Barnet | £19.85 | +1.5% | £1,151 | £1,181 |
| Barnsley | £25.65 | +6.1% | £955 | £955 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | £27.51 | +8.3% | £1,118 | £1,083 |
| Bedford | £24.33 | +4.7% | £1,077 | £1,161 |
| Bexley | £23.88 | +2.5% | £1,016 | £1,088 |
| Birmingham | £22.55 | +6.4% | £874 | £889 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | £22.98 | +7.2% | £800 | £954 |
| Blackpool | £22.25 | +7.5% | £735 | £828 |
| Bolton | £24.91 | +8.1% | £827 | £872 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | £26.75 | +5.0% | £1,220 | £1,293 |
| Bracknell Forest | £22.08 | +3.6% | £1,235 | £1,271 |
| Bradford | £25.28 | +7.7% | £789 | £852 |
| Brent | £20.49 | +2.4% | £1,436 | £1,320 |
| Brighton and Hove | £23.73 | +3.0% | £1,124 | £1,266 |
| Bristol, City of | £24.84 | +3.9% | £1,120 | £1,106 |
| Bromley | £24.35 | +5.0% | £1,062 | £1,257 |
| Buckinghamshire | £28.50 | +7.9% | £1,188 | £1,209 |
| Bury | £25.57 | +5.8% | £773 | £916 |
| Calderdale | £24.28 | +6.0% | £971 | £1,458 |
| Cambridgeshire | £24.32 | +5.0% | £918 | £1,131 |
| Camden | £23.96 | +7.3% | £1,178 | £1,148 |
| Central Bedfordshire | £27.89 | +4.3% | £1,008 | £1,061 |
| Cheshire East | £24.37 | +6.0% | £921 | £1,108 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | £24.85 | +5.9% | £887 | £987 |
| City of London | £27.40 | +5.8% | £1,064 | £1,810 |
| Cornwall | £27.34 | +3.5% | £1,123 | £1,231 |
| County Durham | £22.83 | +8.7% | £857 | £890 |
| Coventry | £22.52 | +6.2% | £868 | £990 |
| Croydon | £22.80 | +7.8% | £1,168 | £1,300 |
| Cumberland | £25.95 | +6.4% | £990 | £1,066 |
| Darlington | £22.59 | +6.9% | £843 | £953 |
| Derby | £22.10 | +4.1% | £809 | £780 |
| Derbyshire | £29.75 | +7.0% | £974 | £1,118 |
| Devon | £28.08 | +4.2% | £1,110 | £1,363 |
| Doncaster | £29.48 | +9.5% | £853 | £973 |
| Dorset | £27.67 | +2.7% | £1,156 | £1,183 |
| Dudley | £21.92 | +5.0% | £725 | £984 |
| Ealing | £19.47 | +6.0% | £1,196 | £1,224 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | £27.91 | +7.4% | £931 | £1,093 |
| East Sussex | £28.16 | +4.0% | £929 | £994 |
| Enfield | £20.20 | +5.7% | £1,039 | £1,058 |
| Essex | £28.04 | +6.4% | £849 | £1,103 |
| Gateshead | £22.45 | +6.2% | £888 | £950 |
| Gloucestershire | £28.64 | +4.0% | £923 | £874 |
| Greenwich | £22.96 | +5.2% | £1,063 | £966 |
| Hackney | £21.55 | +3.6% | £1,044 | £1,305 |
| Halton | £22.87 | +8.0% | £791 | £904 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | £20.89 | +3.0% | £1,188 | £1,188 |
| Hampshire | £25.90 | +2.7% | £1,245 | £1,365 |
| Haringey | £20.16 | +5.0% | £1,115 | £1,080 |
| Harrow | £18.45 | +5.7% | £1,094 | £1,230 |
| Hartlepool | £22.97 | +3.8% | £917 | £900 |
| Havering | £24.65 | +5.5% | £1,230 | £1,338 |
| Herefordshire, County of | £27.78 | +8.0% | £1,123 | £1,287 |
| Hertfordshire | £31.82 | +5.0% | £906 | £1,036 |
| Hillingdon | £20.25 | +1.7% | £1,169 | £1,174 |
| Hounslow | £24.60 | +6.1% | £1,560 | £1,324 |
| Isle of Wight | £25.44 | +6.0% | £967 | £1,110 |
| Islington | £22.50 | +5.3% | £1,236 | £1,439 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | £23.84 | +8.8% | £1,147 | £1,045 |
| Kent | £28.05 | +4.0% | £1,187 | £1,378 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | £26.40 | +7.3% | £841 | £1,049 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £20.42 | +8.2% | £1,157 | £1,123 |
| Kirklees | £26.19 | +6.0% | £878 | £1,280 |
| Knowsley | £23.96 | +9.3% | £728 | £773 |
| Lambeth | £23.02 | +5.5% | £1,027 | £1,110 |
| Lancashire | £23.74 | +5.4% | £790 | £887 |
| Leeds | £25.54 | +5.0% | £804 | £997 |
| Leicester | £23.11 | +8.0% | £1,044 | £1,195 |
| Leicestershire | £25.92 | +7.5% | £986 | £1,084 |
| Lewisham | £23.14 | +0.0% | £1,154 | £1,265 |
| Lincolnshire | £24.30 | +6.0% | £783 | £824 |
| Liverpool | £22.85 | +5.4% | £832 | £864 |
| Luton | £21.42 | +5.5% | £865 | £972 |
| Manchester | £24.45 | +6.3% | £866 | £959 |
| Medway | £21.92 | +8.0% | £875 | £1,126 |
| Merton | £26.06 | +5.1% | £1,188 | £1,130 |
| Middlesbrough | £23.33 | +8.0% | £857 | £857 |
| Milton Keynes | £24.11 | +3.9% | £936 | £1,031 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | £20.36 | +5.8% | £983 | £983 |
| Newham | £23.56 | +6.0% | £1,176 | £1,227 |
| Norfolk | £26.50 | +3.5% | £1,015 | £1,146 |
| North East Lincolnshire | £22.90 | +10.1% | £750 | £716 |
| North Lincolnshire | £24.58 | +9.5% | £736 | £831 |
| North Northamptonshire | £23.31 | +4.1% | £915 | £978 |
| North Somerset | £27.03 | +4.6% | £748 | £888 |
| North Tyneside | £24.62 | +6.8% | £944 | £949 |
| North Yorkshire | £26.01 | +1.5% | £1,086 | £1,358 |
| Northumberland | £28.24 | +7.3% | £882 | £883 |
| Nottingham | £21.58 | +2.0% | £713 | £713 |
| Nottinghamshire | £26.02 | +10.3% | £906 | £1,138 |
| Oldham | £24.04 | +6.0% | £902 | £1,201 |
| Oxfordshire | £30.26 | +3.6% | £1,184 | £1,231 |
| Peterborough | £22.30 | +5.2% | £888 | £1,040 |
| Plymouth | £24.36 | +5.4% | £979 | £1,052 |
| Portsmouth | £24.40 | +0.0% | £1,145 | £1,254 |
| Reading | £23.56 | +1.7% | £993 | £1,068 |
| Redbridge | £23.10 | +5.0% | £1,077 | £1,104 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | £22.72 | +9.5% | £848 | £848 |
| Richmond upon Thames | £22.00 | +4.0% | £1,354 | £1,305 |
| Rochdale | £24.05 | +6.3% | £763 | £1,107 |
| Rotherham | £25.67 | +5.8% | £753 | £905 |
| Rutland | £22.88 | +4.0% | £860 | £1,000 |
| Salford | £25.81 | +9.0% | £688 | £900 |
| Sandwell | £21.24 | +8.1% | £892 | £968 |
| Sefton | £24.13 | +3.0% | £799 | £868 |
| Sheffield | £24.33 | +6.0% | £800 | £987 |
| Shropshire | £26.18 | +6.0% | £928 | £1,166 |
| Slough | £21.19 | +9.7% | £1,238 | £1,283 |
| Solihull | £25.05 | +2.2% | £1,012 | £1,037 |
| Somerset | £26.83 | +4.0% | £805 | £832 |
| South Gloucestershire | £28.90 | +5.0% | £1,326 | £1,329 |
| South Tyneside | £25.78 | +6.0% | £915 | £1,064 |
| Southampton | £22.63 | +0.4% | £1,014 | £1,193 |
| Southend-on-Sea | £23.56 | +5.0% | £958 | £1,003 |
| Southwark | £22.41 | +5.6% | £1,166 | £1,190 |
| St. Helens | £23.10 | +5.9% | £800 | £883 |
| Staffordshire | £24.95 | +6.9% | £941 | £1,143 |
| Stockport | £24.80 | +7.8% | £1,113 | £1,166 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | £22.88 | +7.1% | £866 | £915 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | £24.18 | +6.1% | £712 | £1,005 |
| Suffolk | £26.60 | +5.1% | £1,064 | £1,051 |
| Sunderland | £22.92 | +7.1% | £919 | £929 |
| Surrey | £24.87 | +2.8% | £952 | £988 |
| Sutton | £23.42 | +6.2% | £1,045 | £1,068 |
| Swindon | £26.80 | +6.0% | £832 | £847 |
| Tameside | £24.40 | +9.1% | £809 | £1,058 |
| Telford and Wrekin | £21.66 | +3.7% | £999 | £1,211 |
| Thurrock | £23.42 | +7.4% | £844 | £977 |
| Torbay | £25.84 | +3.0% | £1,163 | £1,243 |
| Tower Hamlets | £23.17 | +5.4% | £1,398 | £1,535 |
| Trafford | £22.79 | +7.0% | £955 | £1,141 |
| Wakefield | £29.20 | +7.5% | £853 | £853 |
| Walsall | £21.00 | +8.8% | £790 | £1,073 |
| Waltham Forest | £20.20 | +8.0% | £1,208 | £1,199 |
| Wandsworth | £21.19 | +4.0% | £1,382 | £1,234 |
| Warrington | £25.85 | +5.0% | £875 | £1,028 |
| Warwickshire | £24.97 | +5.5% | £916 | £1,030 |
| West Berkshire | £22.00 | -3.2% | £1,238 | £1,147 |
| West Northamptonshire | £23.07 | +5.3% | £965 | £1,060 |
| West Sussex | £28.92 | +3.7% | £1,033 | £1,125 |
| Westminster | £23.68 | +7.5% | £1,064 | £984 |
| Westmorland and Furness | £25.74 | +6.5% | £1,039 | £1,087 |
| Wigan | £22.96 | +8.1% | £779 | £852 |
| Wiltshire | £29.40 | +5.9% | £1,051 | £1,030 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | £21.83 | +4.0% | £1,184 | £1,359 |
| Wirral | £23.20 | +1.3% | £793 | £855 |
| Wokingham | £23.63 | +4.6% | £1,034 | £1,141 |
| Wolverhampton | £21.57 | +6.7% | £710 | £942 |
| Worcestershire | £23.43 | +4.3% | £911 | £1,088 |
| York | £26.25 | +7.5% | £1,080 | £1,237 |
| England average | £25.05 | +5.3% | £956 | £1,089 |
The Isles of Scilly reported too few placements to show. Some councils pay a single rate for care homes with and without nursing. Ask your council whether its nursing rate includes the NHS-funded nursing care payment (see FNC rates).
Highest and lowest care home rates
- Highest care home rates (no nursing): Hounslow (£1,560), Brent (£1,436), Tower Hamlets (£1,398).
- Lowest care home rates (no nursing): Salford (£688), Wolverhampton (£710), Stoke-on-Trent (£712).
- Highest nursing home rates: City of London (£1,810), Tower Hamlets (£1,535), Calderdale (£1,458).
- Lowest nursing home rates: Nottingham (£713), North East Lincolnshire (£716), Knowsley (£773).
Related guides
- Attendance Allowance rates 2026/27
- Dementia care costs by region
- Live-in care costs by city
- NHS-funded nursing care vs Continuing Healthcare
Sources
- DHSC: Market Sustainability and Improvement Fund, provider fee reporting 2025 to 2026 (published 21 August 2025). Figures are provisional and reported by councils themselves; DHSC advises treating them with caution.
Last checked October 2026.
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Free care cost report for your area
- Typical local prices for home care and care homes
- What the council and the NHS may pay, with the 2026/27 savings limits
- The best-rated services near you, from the CQC register
Find home care near you
- Home care in Prestwich 316
- Home care in Thames Ditton 296
- Home care in Stanwell 286
- Home care in Denton 266
- Home care in Bushey 260
- Home care in Nottingham 246
- Home care in Radcliffe 238
- Home care in Banstead 369
All home care in England by town → · Search by postcode
Highly rated agencies in England
- Bluebird Care (Stroud and Cirencester) Outstanding · Stroud
- Bright Opportunities Enabling Services Limited Outstanding · Buxton
- Choices for Living Well (Killelea) Outstanding · Bury
- Age UK Doncaster Outstanding · Doncaster
Rated by CQC in the last three years. Nobody pays to appear here.
Home care by county
- Newcastle upon Tyne
- Bury
- Rochdale
- Wirral
- Oxfordshire
- Bath and North East Somerset
- South Gloucestershire
- Solihull
- Calderdale
- Sheffield
- Nottinghamshire
- Peterborough
Paying for care by council
- Paying for care in Gloucestershire
- Paying for care in Warwickshire
- Paying for care in Derbyshire
- Paying for care in Thurrock
- Paying for care in Islington
- Paying for care in Middlesbrough
- Paying for care in Manchester
- Paying for care in Kent
Related guides
Free download
The care home visit checklist (40 points)
Use it to compare up to three homes on the same questions, from CQC reports and staffing to the room, fees and contract terms.
Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 26 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.