Labour Lambeth wants to make profit from pensioners

3.40.08pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 23rd Jan 2007

Lambeth's Lib Dem Councillors have slammed Labour proposals to hike Council home-care charges by a massive 132% - from £7.55 an hour to £17.50, rising to £20 in future years.

The Council levies a per hour charge for home care - services like helping people get out of bed and washed. All the home-care is provided by private agencies under a contract with the Council. The Council's budget papers approved at the Cabinet meeting on 8 January show the Council expects to pay the agencies around £13.50 per hour of standard home-care provided.

This means Labour's charges would be around £4 an hour higher than the price the Council expects to pay the private providers of home care. Labour are proposing to make a profit out of providing care services to some of the most frail and vulnerable elderly and disabled people in the borough.

Councillor Roger Giess, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson said:

"This is an outrageous hike in charges for services to thousands of vulnerable people. Labour councillors are shamelessly saying that they want the charge to be so high that people stop asking the Council for help. That's just wrong. Local pensioners and disabled people will be outraged that the Labour Council wants to charge them more for their care than the Council has to pay for the service."

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. For more information see 8 January Cabinet papers Appendix on provisional budget - Growth Bid D&OP 9 and Savings Proposal D&OP S3.