A government grant will support changes to adult social care and homelessness services, including closer working with the NHS to help residents recover after hospital treatment.
Brighton & Hove has been awarded £6.4 million to improve adult social care and homelessness services as the council continues to face substantial financial pressures.
The allocation covers 2026/27 and 2027/28. It forms part of a £91 million government programme announced on 15 September for 14 councils already receiving Exceptional Financial Support.
One Brighton & Hove project will bring the council’s reablement service closer together with NHS services, with the aim of helping people regain independence and return home sooner after illness or hospital treatment.
The council’s local announcement also identifies changes to homelessness and temporary accommodation services, management of adult social-care demand, and digital and technological improvements.
Funding at a glance
| Brighton & Hove allocation | £6.4 million across two financial years |
|---|---|
| Funding period | 2026/27 and 2027/28 |
| Local priorities | Adult social care, homelessness prevention and service improvements |
| Named local pilot | Closer working between the council’s reablement service and NHS services |
| National programme | £91 million for 14 councils in England |
Helping residents recover after a hospital stay
Reablement supports people to recover the skills and confidence needed for everyday life after illness, injury or a hospital admission.
According to NHS guidance on recovery support, this can involve practising tasks such as washing, getting dressed, preparing meals or using stairs. Care is tailored to the person’s assessed needs and goals, rather than providing the same package to everyone.
The Brighton & Hove pilot is intended to improve coordination between council and NHS teams, helping residents return home sooner and reducing the need for higher levels of care.
That is an intended outcome, not a saving or service improvement already demonstrated by the funding announcement.
Reablement also does not mean everyone can manage without continuing help. The NHS explains that some people need ongoing rehabilitation or a further assessment for longer-term care after their recovery period.
For patients and families, the practical aim is a more coordinated transition between hospital treatment and support with daily life.
Council budget pressures remain
The funding comes alongside continuing pressure on the council’s day-to-day finances.
The budget-monitoring report prepared for Cabinet on 17 September, based on the position at the end of July, forecasts a £20.852 million General Fund overspend for 2026/27.
It separately identifies £16.949 million of additional risks that are excluded from that forecast because of their uncertainty. Neither figure is a final year-end result.
Officers report that existing service-change programmes are helping, but are not keeping pace with rising demand and costs.
The report also says the council has approached the government for up to £30 million in further Exceptional Financial Support. It explicitly describes that request as additional borrowing rather than additional funding.
Why the grant is different from exceptional financial support
The new £6.4 million grant should not be confused with the separate arrangements used to help councils balance their budgets.
The government’s explanation of Exceptional Financial Support says it can allow councils to use capital resources, including borrowing and proceeds from asset sales, to cover day-to-day costs.
That provides financial flexibility, but is not equivalent to receiving an unrestricted cash grant.
The government’s published pre-year decisions for 2026/27 already list £15 million of support agreed in principle for Brighton & Hove. That earlier decision, the subsequent request for further support and the new transformation grant are distinct measures.
Funding explained
A grant is not the same as permission to borrow
The £6.4 million award funds service improvements. Exceptional Financial Support can instead permit borrowing or the use of capital resources for running costs. The figures should not be added together and described as one government grant.
What happens next?
The national programme is intended to test ways of improving costly services and reducing councils’ reliance on exceptional support. Lessons from the participating authorities will inform the government’s wider approach.
Its announcement does not provide a detailed Brighton & Hove project-by-project funding breakdown, local delivery milestones or a quantified savings target.
Those details will be important for assessing what the award achieves. Relevant measures would include residents’ recovery and independence, the experience of people moving between hospital and community care, and outcomes for households needing homelessness assistance.
For now, the confirmed news is the funding award and its intended uses. The improvements to services and any resulting savings will depend on how the projects are delivered.
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