Ceredigion County Council has awarded a £24,600 contract to an external consultancy to review the fees paid for older people's residential and nursing care.

London-based LaingBuisson will examine whether the council's payment rates for 2027/28 reflect market conditions and are sufficient to support care providers while offering value for public money. The contract was awarded on 23 September and published through the public procurement system in October. It runs from 24 September 2026 until 23 September 2027.

The appointment comes amid continuing pressures on the cost of providing care, with councils having to balance rising operating expenses against increasingly stretched public budgets.

Ceredigion's current rates, approved by councillors in March, came into force on 6 April. For 2026/27, the council pays £1,000 a week for standard residential care and £1,067 for residential dementia care in independent-sector homes. The rate for general nursing care and nursing dementia care is £1,157 a week, equivalent to more than £60,000 over a full year for one placement. The same £1,000 and £1,067 weekly rates apply to corresponding places in council-run residential homes.

Those figures represent the council's published fee rates, not necessarily the amount every individual resident personally pays.

People receiving council assistance are financially assessed according to their circumstances, while self-funding residents can be charged a care home's separate private rate, which can vary from care home to care home.

The review will consider whether existing arrangements remain sustainable for providers without imposing unjustified costs on the authority.

The contract notice does not identify what changes, if any, will result from the review. Any proposed alteration to fees for 2027/28 would therefore need to be considered separately.

The council has not announced whether the review will recommend increases or how its findings will be made public.