Meals on wheels and care charges to rise
Thursday 28th January 2010, 11:30AM GMT.
Charges for meals on wheels and other care for thousands of elderly and disabled people in Wolverhampton have been approved by council chiefs.
Hot food delivered to homes will go up from £2.40 to £3.40 in April and then to £4.40 in October. Frozen meals remain the same at £2.40. People with Motability vehicles will be means tested and may be stopped from using council-operated transport to day centres.
Anyone using day centres with more than £23,000 savings will pay up to £16 a day to attend. The 80p a day attendance allowances are to be scrapped.
Pensioners getting home care could find themselves paying up to £38 per week. Originally the plan was to increase the cost from £30 to £36 but a further £2 was added to reflect the recent increase in benefits from the government.
More than 7,700 people signed petitions against the changes, which were agreed by the Conservative cabinet of Wolverhampton City Council last night.
Councillor Les Pugh said £125,000 a year would be spent, after £25,000 start up costs, to put officers in place to achieve the £560,000 of savings the council needs to make on adult care.
He added that changes had been made following lengthy consultation.
Sarah Norman, director for adults and community, said: “That is to provide welfare rates advice to service users.
“Many people are not claiming their disability benefits and with our help, they will be able to access them which will allow them to contribute to their care.
“It is better for the council and they will better off as well so it is a win win situation.”
Nancy Gage, aged 80, of Portobello, was at the meeting held at the Civic Centre representing the Learning Disability Carers Task Group.
She said: “I am concerned about the changes to transport to day centres.
“Some people have Motability but that does not mean they can get to the day centres easily.
“People with learning disabilities need to be helped in and out of the vehicles.
“Their carers will be losing some of the limited time they have for themselves by taking them to and from the day centres.”
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Fantastic just what the elderly need. Force them to stave themselves and force them to stay in there own in there homes more.
Great job Wolverhampton Council.
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so this is what you get of a tory council just imageing what it will be like under a tory govenment all i can say is dontget old or be disable and dont be poor as it us who will pay
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What with heating allowence being stretched
to more cold days before they qualify
Taking away bus passes forcing pensioners and disabled to walk.
Lets starve them now, this council is more evil than the last one.
Conservatives realy have took there pound of
flesh this time.
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So exactly what was the consultation period all about ???? the people were consulted they objected well over 12,000 of them and still these ridicluous price increases are going to happen. I just hope that come the next election this corrupt Tory/Lib council are well and truly OUT !!!!!!!!!!!!! Good riddance to them all.
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What a great CITY to live in!! As if our poor pensioners have not been through enough in their lives, now they are going to be subjected to further poverty for the remainder of their lives!! I dont know how some people sleep at night! And the irony is they cant afford to die with dignity either!!!
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