What's Happening with the CQC's Assessment of Local Authorities?

In February 2021, the government’s NHS reform white paper proposed restoring CQC ratings for council-run adult social care after more than a decade without them. As of 31 August 2025, the CQC has published ratings for 63 councils and aims to assess all 153 by March 2026.

Until 2010, the regulator carried out annual inspections of every local authority, but this system was scrapped and replaced with a sector-led model. Since then, councils have mostly been left to monitor themselves, often relying on peer support networks rather than external oversight.

In Summer 2022 CQC undertook ‘test and learn’ exercises with 2 local authorities to test the approach to assessing how they meet their adult social care responsibilities under the Care Act. Using the learning from this testing and refining the methodology accordingly, it was agreed to pilot the approach in 5 local authorities during Summer 2023.

Here Are the Results of the Pilot Inspections Carried Out by the CQC

How Councils Are Inspected and Rated by the CQC

The process starts when CQC asks a council for information and a self-assessment. Inspectors then review data, documents, and feedback from staff, partners, carers, and people using services. They follow real care journeys, hold on-site discussions, and gather lived experiences. Finally, the council is given a rating based on clear quality statements, with a report that also includes financial details.

What Do Inspection Ratings Tell Us About Council Performance So Far?

By 31 August 2025, the Caregraph confirmed that the CQC had published 63 inspection reports on local authority adult social care. Of these, 41 were rated Good, 19 Requires Improvement, 1 Inadequate, and 2 Outstanding.

These scores and percentages don’t just decide whether a council is rated Good, Requires Improvement, Inadequate or Outstanding. They also show where the council sits within each band. A Good score at the lower end (closer to 63%) points to more pressing challenges than a Good score at the upper end (closer to 87%), which is edging towards Outstanding. This makes it easier to see whether performance is improving, stable, or at risk of slipping into a lower rating.

Two of the local authorities have been rated Outstanding. Both sit in the upper range, each achieving 32 out of a possible 36 points (≈89%), placing them firmly in the upper Outstanding category.

While most councils so far have fallen into the Good or Requires Improvement categories, only one has been rated Inadequate. This is Blackpool Council.

Their assessment shows widespread shortfalls, with most quality statements scoring just 1 (significant shortfalls) and the rest only 2 (some shortfalls).

Below is the list of all councils that are currently rated Requires Improvement. This shows that while they are meeting some responsibilities, there are still important gaps to address. There are 19 councils in this category.

Most Councils Inspected So Far Have Been Rated Good

Beyond this, the largest share of councils inspected so far have been rated Good. This shows that the majority are delivering adult social care to a steady and reliable standard, even if some sit at the lower end of Good and others closer to Outstanding.

The Caregraph View

The early results show why reintroducing inspections matters. Ratings on their own are important, but the process also reminds councils that governance and consistency are being closely monitored.

What stands out is the way financial details appear in the reports but do not count towards the overall score. Local authority finances and adult social care are closely connected, and pressures in one will inevitably affect the other. The Caregraph will continue to explore this link and what it means for the stability of care provision.