CAMPAIGNERS demanded council leaders back Andy Burnham’s drive for national social care reform after a new study revealed access is “postcode lottery.”

Analysis from the Care and Support Alliance (CSA) revealed today the massive disparities in access to social care for adults depending on the area in England where someone lives.

As the new Prime Minister promised he will “put everything [he’s] got” into fixing the social care system, the CSA urged local authorities to take this opportunity for lasting reform, adding they “must not let it pass.”

Analysis of Department for Health and Social Care data between the beginning of April 2024 and the end of March 2025 showed a stark difference in access to care depending on someone’s postcode.

The East Midlands and the South East represent the highest rate of applications ending in no support being provided, with 75 per cent, the CSA said.

And the West Midlands represented the area with the lowest regional rate, with 62 per cent ending without support.

But researchers said rates were not consistent within regions, varying greatly between council areas.

In the capital, rates of requests not leading to social care ranged from 30 per cent in one borough to 91 per cent in another, meaning two people with similar care needs but living just a few miles apart “can face vastly different experiences when they ask for help,” the CSA said.

The gap in support between council areas was narrowest in the North East, but still ranged from 46 to 76 per cent depending on where in that region someone lived, the CSA said.

“Too many people are left without the care and support they need, while others face very different charges depending on where they live,” the group wrote in a letter to council leaders.

“This postcode lottery is unfair for the people who rely on care and support and unpaid carers, and underlines the need for long-term national reform.”

“But this is not a problem councils can solve on their own. Local leaders cannot be expected to overcome decades of underinvestment or fix a fundamentally unsustainable system one council at.

“The only way to end this unfairness is through national action, backed by sustainable funding that enables every council to provide the care and support its community needs.”