Call-in on decision to raise care charges

A call-in on the decision to increase the cost of home care services for elderly residents has been submitted by the Liberal Democrat Group on Bath and North East Somerset Council. Members of the Labour Group agreed to co-sign the call-in. The call-in has been verified and the hearing will be held within 2 weeks.

The signatories are calling on the Cabinet member to reconsider his decision to increase the charges for a range of services to elderly people, such as:

Community meal costs up by over a pound per meal.
Hourly rate for home care to rise by 74%.
Maximum weekly charge for care to go up by almost 400%.
Councillor for Newbridge, Loraine Brinkhurst, who is leading the call-in, commented:

“When we heard that Cllr. Vic Pritchard the Conservative Cabinet Member was authorising these extortionate price increases for Home Care we were incensed. The price increases will have a huge impact on our residents who so desperately need these services. My fear is that many residents may cut down or even cancel the use of home care due to this hike in charges, and this could then lead to our residents struggling to live independently in their own homes.”
Councillor Cherry Beath (Combe Down) said:

“When decisions like this are made, you have to question the focus and value systems held by this current administration. This decision is, like many we have seen in recent months, all about money, and disregards the dire impacts it will have on a particularly vulnerable group of our residents, hitting them hard at their point of need, and at a time in their lives when they are least able to protect themselves.”