Home care agency choosing where to expand
Which council or district gives us enough clients at a rate we can pay staff on?
Weigh the council's hourly rate against the minimum price, the number of competing agencies and the older population.
When people use it: When choosing a new territory or office.
How it works, step by step
The council's hourly rate
The gap to the industry minimum price is what you lose on each council hour.
Competition
Growth in agencies means more competition for clients and care workers.
Compare councils
Add the neighbouring councils you could reach from one office.
Private client potential
Higher house values and self funder shares mean more private clients at private rates.
Agencies near you
Filter by district and rating; export the list.
The views you will use
Ask the data in plain English
A real question and answer from Ask Orrery, the assistant inside the platform, for a care home owner in Kent (October 2026). It answers only from Orrery's data and the subscriber's own documents, and shows its sources.
Kent pays £28.05 an hour for home care. That is £4.09 below the industry minimum price of £32.14 for 2025/26. The minimum price rises to £34.42 for 2026/27. Sources: DHSC MSIF fee reporting 2025/26, the home care providers' trade body, and Orrery's gap calculation.
Nearby councils, from the Orrery comparison:
- West Sussex: £28.92
- East Sussex: £28.16
- Essex: £28.04
- Surrey: £24.87
- Medway: £21.92
- England median: £24.05
Kent is in the top group locally and well above the England median. It is still below the minimum price. Medway and Surrey are further below it.
On Orrery's central assumptions, Kent's gap against the 2026/27 minimum is £5.42 an hour. This is a projection, not a forecast, and you can change the assumptions on the page.
- A council paying well below the minimum price can still work if most of your clients are private.
Answer this for your own councils
Subscribers get every guide, chart and projection for all 153 councils, Ask Orrery, and every council report.
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