Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole | Posted on June 9th, 2026 | return to news

Social care crisis for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

With more children than ever going into BCP Council care, the council is facing a funding crisis and is asking the government to act.

The rising need for support for vulnerable children and adults in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area has resulted in BCP Council having a £4.6 million gap at the end of its financial year.

This will be filled using reserves; however, the leader of the council, Cllr Millie Earl, has written to the government requesting urgent attention to the national issue.

Cllr Mike Cox, deputy leader and portfolio holder for Finance, said: “We are calling on the government to recognise the true scale of care needs and provide the funding required to support the most vulnerable in our communities.

“The number of children going into BCP Council care rose sharply last year, with 87 more children compared to 17 children the year before, bringing the total number of children in our care to 643. People needing support for adult services also continues to increase, placing significant strain on already stretched budgets.

“Behind these figures are real people. This is about children growing up in homes where they don’t feel safe, where they need someone to step in, to protect them, and to help them believe their future can be different.

“This is about older people who have lived full lives and simply want to hold on to their independence for as long as they can, to be treated with dignity, with respect, and with compassion every single day.

“And it’s about everyone in between who needs care, support, and understanding at the moments in life when they’re at their most vulnerable.

“We have done everything we can to manage the financial impact of this rising need for care responsibly. We’ve worked hard to control spending, bring in extra income, deliver planned savings, reduce the costs of running services by being more efficient and freeze non-essential spending across the council – and we will continue to do so.

“Our careful financial management in recent years has allowed us to build reserves, which is now helping us respond to this growing need.

“But this cannot continue indefinitely. This is not a local issue. It is a growing national crisis. Without action, councils across the country will struggle to protect and support those who need it most.

“We’ve already reduced spending in other areas of the council, including £2 million in Resources and £5.9 million in corporate budgets, and we’ve delivered £8.7 million of savings. But efficiencies alone cannot keep pace with rising demand.

“Ultimately, funding for these vital services is not keeping up with need. This is a gap that central government must address urgently because demand is rising, and the funding will reduce by £15 million per year, which is not sustainable.”

In Children’s Services, significantly more children needed care, leading to an additional £9.1 million cost over budget, while in Adult Services, the net overspend equated to £5.6 million, driven by more people needing support across a range of care.

Looking at the detail behind the adult services net overspend, while £10 million more than budget was spent on adult care packages due to increased demand, some of this overspend is reduced by individuals who contribute to their own care, as well as health services that pay for their related elements of the adult care packages.

The overall budget position was helped by underspends across the council, including £2 million in Resources, £5.9 million in central corporate budgets and £1.7 million in extra income from business rates.

The council has a legal duty to provide care for vulnerable children and adults.