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CHANGES TO CHARGES
Lambeth Council's Cabinet meeting on 30th July agreed to increase charges for communty support services from 1st September 2007:
- the hourly charge for homecare (help with personal care and housework) will go up from £7.55 to £17.50 an hour. The charge will go up again in April 2008 to £20.00 an hour.
- there will be a new charge for the shopping service of £10.00 per shop.
- there will also be a new charge for the sitting service of £17.50 per hour
- meals on wheels will go up from £2.15 to £3.00 per meal
Charges will also be extended to people who use learning disability, mental health and substance misuse services.
People who receive community care are means tested under the 'Fairer Charging' assessment system. Lambeth says that of the 1700 who currently receive homecare services for which it is allowed to make charges, 500 people are required to pay. It estimates that 90% of those 500 people will be paying more. It won't say how much more but it is clear that it could be a very large increase if the Council is to raise the additional £1.13million that it says the increased charges will bring in. Some people would have to pay up to £300 a week for their services which is the maximum charge the Council has said it will levy. Anyone with savings over £21,500 would have to pay the full cost of their services.
WHAT THIS MEANS?
- Lambeth’s charges are the highest in London and more than £5.00 per hour above the Inner London average.
- Older people with modest levels of savings and pensions will be especially hard hit.
- Some users will pay more per hour to the Council than the Council actually pays the agencies which provide the service to them.
- People who the Council knows are at risk will refuse services because of the cost and will become isolated.
The Council has ignored the very clear message delivered through its consultation. They were told that the increases are unaffordable and cannot be justified, that they would penalise people who had tried to save for their old age and that they would undermine the Council's own plans to support disabled and older people to live independently in their own homes.