Care charges for vulnerable people to rocket in Kirklees

Jul 20 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

CARE charges will rocket by up to 60%.

Kirklees Council’s cabinet is today expected to back a hike in fees for care of the elderly and people with physical and learning disabilities.

Charity and voluntary groups reacted with fury yesterday at the scale of the planned increases, saying they would force people to give up their jobs to care for their relatives full-time.

The Labour cabinet will meet today to decide whether to support the increase in charges from August 1 to help deal with the public spending squeeze from central government.

Day care charges for people with learning disabilities who live in residential care homes would rocket 58% from £4.30 a day to £6.80.

Day care for people with learning disabilities who live in their own home would rise 39% from £6.40 a day to £8.90.

The increase will affect Jill Robson, chief executive of Mencap in Kirklees. Her son David, 34, who has cerebral palsy and learning difficulties, uses day care five days a week.

Mrs Robson, of Newsome, said: “This is a huge hike. Some people will have to withdraw from day care which they need. They would lose the stimulation of day care.

“These increases will also have an effect on carers. Some people will have to give up their jobs because they can’t afford the day care charges.

“My son gets day care five days a week but we might have to reduce that to three.”

She added: “This could lead to people asking for residential care because they can’t cope without the day care. In the long-term this could lead to greater costs.

“I accept that the council has got to find some money from somewhere but there are other cuts they could make first.