Spending Review: key points for disabled people

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has delivered her Spending Review, which sets out the day-to-day budgets of government departments and public services over the next three years. So, what are the key points for people with learning disabilities and autistic people?

Health

The Chancellor announced a 3% a year increase in spending on health services over the spending review period, which will amount to an extra £29 billion in spending overall.

Health leaders say that they recognise that the NHS is being prioritised for investment over other parts of the public sector. They say that the funding boost will help the NHS cope with rising demand from people with multiple or more complex physical and mental health conditions.

The Treasury also wants to move money and care closer to where people live. This includes additional funding by 2028-29 to bring back the family doctor by supporting the training of thousands more GPs and delivering millions more appointments each year.

Social care

The government has announced greater investment in children’s social care. With £555 million from the Transformation Fund over the spending review period, the government wants to help more children stay with their families, ensure families have timely support, and fix the broken care market.

It will also provide £560 million, between 2026-27 and 2029-30, to refurbish and expand children’s homes and foster care placements.

Over £4 billion in funding could be available for adult social care in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26. This includes an increase to the NHS’s minimum contribution via the Better Care Fund. Further details will be announced later.

The Treasury added: “The government recognises the significant challenges facing the adult social care system and is committed to transforming the sector and supporting the care workforce.

“Baroness Louise Casey is leading an independent commission to build consensus on reform of adult social care. The first phase will report in 2026 and will focus on how to make the most of existing resources to improve the system.”

The Health Foundation says that to meet demand and rising provider costs, social care would need an extra £3.4bn by 2028/29; to improve access as well, this sum could be an additional £6.4bn. Further investment would be needed to meet any future pay agreements.

Education

The government will increase the core schools budget by £2 billion in real terms over the next three years (2023-24 to 2028-29), a cash-terms increase of £4.7 billion by the end of the spending review period. This includes the £410 million annual cost of the recently announced extension of free school meals and the £615 million allocated earlier in the spring to contribute to next year’s 4 per cent teacher pay rise.

Reeves also said £2.3 billion a year will be spent fixing and maintaining existing schools. She added that over the next four years, another £2.4 billion will be invested in the School Rebuilding Programme to rebuild over 500 schools.

The Treasury also confirmed that the current special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system will be reformed. The details will be set out in a Schools White Paper in the autumn.

It says it will set out further details on supporting local authorities in the transition to a reformed system as part of the upcoming local government funding reform consultation.

In addition, £1.2 billion a year by the end of the spending review will support more than a million young people in training and apprenticeships.

Housing

The government announced a £39 billion boost to social and affordable housing investment, which will be spread over 10 years from 2026-27 to 2035-36. Spending will reach £4 billion per year in 2029-30 and subsequently rise in line with inflation.

Although it was not confirmed that this will be used for more accessible homes and supported housing, this is the most significant commitment to social housing in 50 years.

Responses to the Spending Review

Tom Marsland, Head of Policy at Sense, said: “The lack of focus on social care in the spending review will come as a huge disappointment to the 1.6 million disabled people with complex needs across the country and their families.

“The social care system should be a lifeline for disabled people. It should be working alongside the NHS to deliver vital services. But for years it has been underfunded, left to lag behind until now it is utterly broken.

“Sense has welcomed and will work with the Casey Commission as it makes recommendations to transform social care in the long term. But there will be no big changes until at least 2028. Social care is in crisis – disabled people can’t wait that long for change. Urgent investment in social care is needed now.”

Dr Rhidian Hughes, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) says: ‘Today disabled people face huge uncertainties when it comes to managing the cost of living and accessing the essential care and support they are legally entitled to.

‘Today’s Spending Review confirms welcome investment in children’s social care, SEND, employment support, housing and the NHS.

‘It was, however, a missed opportunity to address and invest in social care in its own right. The money that is being made available over the Spending Review period is reliant on flowing through the NHS and local government and our experience shows this rarely gets to where it’s needed. We need a strong and secure funding base that values social care as an essential public service and upholds all legal entitlements, rights and the dignity of disabled people.”

Mel Merritt, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “Autistic people and their families currently face huge delays and long fights to get the most basic support so we welcome the increase in funding for school and NHS budgets announced in the Chancellor’s Spending Review.

“We need to see investment in autism assessments to end the nationwide crisis in diagnosis waiting times, community services to stop the inappropriate detention of autistic people in mental health hospitals, and to fix the broken SEND system, including mandatory autism training for all school staff.

“It’s time to provide the support and services that autistic people and their families need and have long been asking for.”

Kate Terroni, CEO at United Response, said: “The lack of funding announced in the Spending Review gives little confidence that there will be the ambitious change people drawing on social care deserve

“Underfunding leaves those who need support most at risk of facing fewer choices, more disruption, and less stability. We understand the conflicting cost pressures facing the government but meaningful investment in community services is vital to supporting people to lead full lives.

“The government’s aspiration is clear; a strengthened country and improvements for working people’s lives. Social care is central to this to this mission but we need the funding to achieve it.”

Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, said:  “We welcome the government’s commitment to reforming the SEND system and the investment announced in the Spending Review.

“This provides a vital opportunity to address the root causes of the current crisis—starting with ensuring every teacher and school staff member has the knowledge and confidence to effectively support and include autistic pupils.

“We urge the government to use the upcoming white paper to listen to autistic young people and rule out any weakening of legal rights.

“We look forward to seeing more details in the autumn and stand ready to work with government to ensure these reforms are truly inclusive.”

Kathryn Smith OBE, Chief Executive at SCIE, said: “Today’s announcements are a step in the right direction—but far from the bold, coordinated investment needed for effective reform.

“Social care is not a standalone service and it does not operate in a silo. It interfaces with housing, healthcare, and mental health support. The care system can play a role in alleviating pressures across other public services, but without stable funding and investment, it could also compound them.  In other words, the Government’s vision for the country depends on an appropriately resourced social care sector.

“The Government must see social care as foundational to the country’s future, not a service of last resort.”

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies. She is also a mother to a gorgeous 13-year-old boy who has a learning disability.

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