COUNCILLORS last night voted to increase care charges – despite opposition from hundreds of people.
Kirklees Council’s Labour Cabinet voted unanimously to bring in the rises, which will affect around 40% of the 2,415 adults in Kirklees who receive social care.
The support includes home carers, who help vulnerable people bathe and eat, as well as day care provision, which gives relatives a break from looking after their loved ones.
The changes will not affect poorer people who currently receive their care for free. But richer care-users will have to pay more – from a few pounds a week to £180 extra in one case.
Some 826 people took part in a consultation on the changes, which ran from December 7 until January 27. More than 60% said they either disagreed or strongly disagreed with the council’s plan.
Officers had proposed abolishing the upper limit of £205 a week. But Cabinet member for health Clr Molly Walton yesterday proposed increasing the maximum to £418 instead.
She said: “There are very few people who reach the cap in Kirklees.
“Quite a few people are concerned about us removing the cap – people had a fear that the council could charge what it wanted.”
The Labour Cabinet unanimously backed the increase at its meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall yesterday.
The plan will affect 2,415 a people:
No increase: 1,389 clients (57.5%)
A rise of up to £9.99 a week: 278 (11.5%)
A rise of between £10 and £19.99: 371 (15.5%)
A rise of between £20 and £29.99: 186 (8%)
A rise of between £30 and £39.99: 103 (4.5%)
A rise of between £40 and £49.99: 44 (2%)
A rise of between £50 and £180: 44 (2%).
