What the data says about care markets
Short, sourced articles on fees, supply, quality and ownership, council by council. Every chart names its source.
Nursing home fees: which councils pay the most in 2025/26?
Council nursing home fees for a week of care for an older person run from £712.63 in Nottingham to £1,809.97 in City of London. Kent pays the 5th highest rate of 152 councils, and £252.11 a week more than Medway next door.
Len Burgess · 13 Oct 2026 · 11 min readWhich councils pay the most for residential care in 2025/26?
Weekly rates run from £688 in Salford to £1,560 in Hounslow. We ranked all 152 councils.
9 Oct 2026 · 6 min readHome careHome care hourly rates by council: who pays the most?
Councils paid a median £24.05 an hour for home care in 2025/26, from £31.82 in Hertfordshire to £18.45 in Harrow. London pays least. Kent pays £28.05, £6.13 an hour more than Medway.
8 Oct 2026 · 12 min readSupply and demandWhere will care home beds be shortest by 2035?
England's 85+ population grows 45% by 2035. Holding today's ratio of beds to older people needs about 205,000 more care home beds. Here is where the gap is widest, from regions down to Kent's twelve districts.
1 Oct 2026 · 9 min readFees and fundingSelf funding care homes: where do councils fund the fewest beds?
Across England councils fund about 42% of care home beds. In Rutland it is 28%, and in Kent 35%. These are the self funder markets, where fees are higher and the risk sits with residents whose savings run out.
24 Sep 2026 · 9 min readSupply and demandHow many care homes in England? The largest council markets
There are 14,473 care homes in England. Kent has more care homes and beds than any other council in England: 487 homes and 14,824 beds. We rank the largest markets by beds, homes and community services, and look at what size means for buyers and new operators.
17 Sep 2026 · 8 min readBuying and sellingBuying a care home in Kent: small homes close, larger homes open
Buying a care home in Kent? 14 new care homes opened in Kent in two years, averaging 32 beds. 23 closed, averaging 16. Where it happened, who is buying, and what it means for small homes.
10 Sep 2026 · 9 min readQualityCQC ratings for care homes in Kent: which area lets homes down?
On CQC ratings, 79% of Kent’s rated care homes are Good or Outstanding, against 82.5% across England. Well led is the weakest area, and 45% of ratings are over five years old.
3 Sep 2026 · 9 min readBuying and sellingCare home finance in Kent: who lends to care home operators?
Care home finance in Kent: 55% of care home operators have secured borrowing on the Companies House register. Here is who lends to them, how that compares with home care, and how to read a charge before you buy.
27 Aug 2026 · 13 min readFees and fundingHow care homes get paid in Kent, including funded nursing care
A council funded nursing resident in Kent brings in about £1,646 a week, from the council and NHS funded nursing care on separate timetables. Here is who pays what, when, and what to check before you buy.
20 Aug 2026 · 9 min readGuidesWhat a council market position statement tells you before you buy
A council’s Market Position Statement sets out what care it wants more of and what it will not buy. Here is how to read one and test it against the data, using Kent’s 2025 to 2035 statement as the worked example.
13 Aug 2026 · 13 min readThe monthly market note
One email a month: new data, fee changes and the councils that moved. Unsubscribe any time.