Cameron’s hidden dementia taxes hit vulnerable hardest
REVEALED:
• Older and disabled people will pay an average of £655 more for home help this year compared to four years ago
• Dial-a-ride transport services double in price over same period
• ‘Meals on wheels’ cost 65p more – older people paying an extra £235 per year
Government cuts to local authority care budgets have left the most vulnerable people in society paying spiralling charges for their own care.
A Labour survey of council social care departments reveals the care charges older and disabled people will pay this year.
Government cuts to local authority budgets, which pay for social care, have left councils no choice but to increase the costs billed to individuals and families. These support services include home help – that help people get up, washed and dressed – alongside ‘meals on wheels’ and dial-a-ride transport services.
Last week, an independent survey of social care finances by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) revealed that Government cuts to councils will mean a further £800m taken from care budgets in the next year – totalling £2.68 billion so far under the current Government.
More than a third of local authorities supplied information to the Labour survey – 64 out of 150 responsible councils.
Labour’s findings show the average charges for an hour of home care increased by 10.6% between 2009/10 and 2013/14 – from £11.87 to £13.13.
An average care user – defined by experts as an individual receiving 10 hours of care each week (The Personal Social Services Research Unit’s report ‘Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2010’) – will pay £655 more this year compared to four years ago (from £6,172 in 2009/10 to £6,827 in 2013/14).
The cost of council-run ‘Ring and Ride’ and other transport services, to assist people with reduced mobility to travel to day centres and medical appointments, has more than doubled in 4 years – from an average of £1.98 to £4.12 per ride.
Additionally, the average price of a ‘meal on wheels’ has increased from £3.01 in 2009/10 to £3.66 in 2013/14. An extra 65p per meal will add £237 over a year – on the basis of one council-provided meal per day – taking the 2009/10 average annual total of £1095 to £1332 in 2013/14.
Growing ‘postcode lottery’ in care
The survey findings show considerable variation in the price of home care, meals and transport services between different councils.
Whilst responsibility for such huge cuts to care services lies squarely with central Government, it is noticeable that older and disabled people in Conservative areas pay more for each of these on average than friends and family in Labour-controlled areas.
Home care:
An hour of home help costs £20 in Brighton and Hove, whilst Tower Hamlets in London offers it for free.
Older and disabled people receiving services from Conservative councils pay on average £15 per week, or £780 per year, more than neighbours in Labour-controlled areas (based on Conservative councils charging £1.50 per hour more and people receiving an average of 10 hours care per week).
Transport
Several councils provide free transport services to people with reduced mobility, whilst Warwickshire charge as much as £12 per ride. Conservative-run Warwickshire has increased its fare by almost £11 in last four years, now charging three times the national average.
Conservative councils charge £5 on average, £2.10 more than in Labour-controlled areas.
Meals
The most expensive council charges close to three times more for a meal than the cheapest – £5.99 in Richmond compared to £2.30 in Warrington.
A meal in a Conservative area costs 45p more on average than in a Labour-controlled area – adding up to an extra £160 a year on the basis of one meal per day.
Meals services:
Cost of a meal in £
| Authority | Control | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire Council | Con | 3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.35 | Service not provided |
| Bournemouth Borough Council | Con | 4 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | Service not provided |
| London Borough of Bromley | Con | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | n/a | Service not provided |
| Cheshire West and Chester | Con | 3.03 | 3.1 | 3.18 | 3.26 | Service not provided |
| Milton Keynes Council | Con | 4 | 4.2 | 4.98 | 5.19 | 5.19 |
| Isle of Wight Council | Con | 3 | 3.1 | n/a | n/a | 5 |
| Dorset County Council | Con | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.5 |
| Herefordshire Council | Con | 4.4 | ||||
| West Sussex County Council | Con | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.7 | 4 | 4.1 |
| Lancashire County Council | Con | 3.25 | 3.25 | 4.05 | 4.05 | 4.05 |
| Essex County Council | Con | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.95 | 3.95 |
| Buckinghamshire County Council | Con | 3.45 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| Spelthorne Borough Council | Con | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 |
| Kent County Council | Con | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.65 | 3.75 |
| Surrey Heath Borough | Con | 2.95 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Waverley | Con | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Gloucestershire County Council | Con | 2.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Hampshire County Council | Con | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| East Sussex County Council | Con | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.35 | 3.35 | 3.4 |
| Woking | Con | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
| Norfolk County Council | Con | 3.18 | 3.24 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.37 |
| Lincolnshire County Council | Con | n/a | 2.7 | 2.79 | 2.79 | 2.85 |
| North Yorkshire County Council | Con | 1.9 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.25 | 2.3 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Con | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.55 |
| Richmond | Con | 3.1 | 3.15 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 5.99 |
| St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 3.08 | 3.16 | 3.24 | 3.32 | Service not provided |
| Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 3 | Service not provided |
| Birmingham City Council | Lab | 2.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 4.1 | Service not provided |
| Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| City of York Council | Lab | 2.45 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | n/a |
| Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 2.8 | 2.95 | 3.2 | 3.85 | 4.2 |
| Wolverhampton Council | Lab | 2.4 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.95 | 4.15 |
| Bury Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.9 |
| Hartlepool Borough Council | Lab | 3.6 | 3.65 | 3.65 | 3.65 | 3.65 |
| London Borough of Enfield | Lab | 3.4 | 3.47 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| London Borough of Brent | Lab | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Plymouth City Council | Lab | 2.65 | 2.65 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| London Borough of Haringey | Lab | 3 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
| City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council | Lab | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| Derby City Council | Lab | 3 | 3 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
| Halton Borough Council | Lab | 2.82 | 2.88 | 2.94 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
| Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | Lab | 2.97 | 2.97 | 2.97 | 2.97 | 2.97 |
| Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 1.99 | 2.05 | 2.6 | 2.68 | 2.78 |
| Metropolitan Borough of Wirral | Lab | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.68 | 2.68 |
| Stoke-on-Trent City Council | Lab | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 2.6 |
| Kingston-Upon-Hull City Council | Lab | 1.95 | 2 | 2.1 | 2.15 | 2.55 |
| Warrington Borough Council | Lab | 2.15 | 2.2 | 2.24 | 2.27 | 2.3 |
| Gateshead | Lab | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3 | 3.15 | 3.2 |
| Islington | Lab | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | No extra cost |
| Newham | Lab | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 5.35 | Service not provided |
| Darlington | Lab | 3.6 | 3.65 | 3.65 | 3.65 | 3.65 |
| Waltham Forest | Lab | 3.61 | 3.66 | 3.77 | 3.94 | 4.05 |
| Nottingham City | Lab | 2.5 | 2.6 | 3 | 3.25 | 3.25 |
| Hounslow | Lab | 4 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Newcastle City Council | Lab | 2.45 | 2.45 | 2.45 | 3 | 3 |
| Hackney | Lab | 3.6 | 3.65 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.8 |
| Knowsley | Lab | 2.55 | 2.55 | Service not provided | Service not provided | Service not provided |
| Oldham | Lab | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4 |
Community Transport Services
(Charge per ride):
| Authority | Political control | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 |
| Norfolk County Council | Con | 1.16 | 1.18 | 1.2 | 1.22 | 1.22 |
| Chesire West and Chester | Con | 1.63 | 1.67 | 1.71 | 1.75 | 1.79 |
| Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | Con | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| North Yorkshire County Council | Con | 1.8 | 2 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.4 |
| Dorset County Council | Con | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
| Milton Keynes Council | Con | 2 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.65 | 2.65 |
| Woking | Con | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4.2 |
| Surrey Heath | Con | 3.45 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| West Sussex County Council | Con | 3 | 3.2 | 5 | 5 | 5.1 |
| Lincolnshire County Council | Con | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5.1 |
| Spelthorne Borough Council | Con | 4.5 | 5 | 6 | 6.5 | 6.7 |
| Bournemouth Borough Council | Con | 5.55 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 7.81 |
| Buckinghamshire County Council | Con | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8 | 8 |
| Warwickshire County Council | Con | 1.27 | 1.3 | 5.29 | 12.23 | 12.13 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Con | 0 | 8 | 8.3 | 8.7 | 8.9 |
| Richmond | Con | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Plymouth City Council | Lab | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | Lab | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1 |
| City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council | Lab | 0.45 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.1 |
| Halton Borough Council | Lab | 1.03 | 1.05 | 1.07 | 1.09 | 1.31 |
| Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 1.4 | 1.45 | 1.49 | 1.53 | 1.59 |
| Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 2 |
| Derby City Council | Lab | 3 | 3 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.2 |
| Warrington Borough Council | Lab | 1.6 | 1.6 | 3.35 | 3.35 | 3.38 |
| St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 2.56 | 2.62 | 3.71 | 3.8 | 3.9 |
| City of York Council | Lab | 1.8 | 1.8 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Stoke-on-Trent City Council | Lab | 0.42 | 0.45 | 0.5 | 0.55 | 4 |
| Bury Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 3.7 | 3.8 | 4 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Metropolitan Borough of Wirral | Lab | 4.64 | 4.78 | 4.78 | 4.78 | 4.78 |
| Hartlepool Borough Council | Lab | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Gateshead | Lab | 1.09 | 1.2 | 1.38 | 1.45 | 1.5 |
| Islington | Lab | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Darlington | Lab | n/a | n/a | n/a | 6.9 | 6.9 |
| Nottingham City | Lab | 2.5 | 2.6 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Hackney | Lab | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oldham | Lab | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
Home Care Costs:
| Authority | Control | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire Council | Con | 10.4 | 10.6 | 10.6 | 10.7 | 10.8 |
| Bournemouth Borough Council | Con | 16 | 13.96 | 13.96 | 13.96 | 13.95 |
| London Borough of Bromley | Con | 15.76 | 16.2 | 14.64 | 14.64 | 14.64 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | Con | 12.78 | 12.78 | |||
| Milton Keynes Council | Con | 14 | 15 | 14.12 | ||
| Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | Con | 7.7 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 8.92 | 12.5 |
| Dorset County Council | Con | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Herefordshire Council | Con | 15.15 | ||||
| Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council | Con | 16.25 | 16.65 | 16.65 | 16.65 | 12.68 |
| Lancashire County Council | Con | 11.9 | 11.96 | 11.96 | 11.96 | 11.96 |
| Essex County Council | Con | 13.32 | 13.52 | 13.52 | 13.52 | 13.64 |
| Buckinghamshire County Council | Con | 13.8 | 14.2 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| East Sussex County Council | Con | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| Warwickshire County Council | Con | 9.22 | 11.36 | 13.37 | 14.24 | 14.24 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | Con | 7.2 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.3 | 14.3 |
| Hampshire County Council | Con | 14.4 | 14.8 | 15.2 | Up to Actual Cost | Up to Actual Cost |
| Norfolk County Council | Con | 14.04 | 14.32 | 14.62 | ||
| Lincolnshire County Council | Con | 10.5 | 10.5 | 11.93 | 11.93 | 11.93 |
| North Yorkshire County Council | Con | 15 | 16 | 16.5 | 16.9 | 17.3 |
| Bexley | Con | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 12.6 |
| Richmond | Con | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 12.5 |
| St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 9.36 | 9.59 | 9.83 | 10.08 | 10.33 |
| Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 9.85 | 10.15 | 10.72 | 11.28 | 11.28 |
| Birmingham City Council | Lab | 14.91 | 16.4 | 17 | 17 | 15 |
| Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 5 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| City of York Council | Lab | 15.75 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 9.64 | 9.8 | 10.8 | 13.05 | 13.48 |
| Wolverhampton Council | Lab | 13.48 | 13.48 | 13.48 | 13.48 | 13 |
| Bury Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 11.5 | 11.5 | 12 | 12.4 | 12.7 |
| Greenwich | Lab | 9.7 | 9.7 | 11.2 | 12.5 | 13 |
| London Borough of Enfield | Lab | 16.6 | 16.6 | 16.6 | 16.6 | 16.6 |
| London Borough of Brent | Lab | 17.48 | 17.48 | 17.48 | full cost | full cost |
| Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 11.9 | 12.85 | 13.9 | 14.5 | 14.85 |
| London Borough of Haringey | Lab | 10.85 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11.35 |
| City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council | Lab | 9.2 | 10.45 | 10.45 | 11 | 11 |
| Derby City Council | Lab | 8 | 8 | 11.31 | 11.72 | 12.08 |
| Halton Borough Council | Lab | 11.35 | 11.35 | 11.35 | 11.35 | 11.46 |
| Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council | Lab | 9.64 | 9.72 | 11.04 | 11.04 | 11.04 |
| Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 10.92 | 11.25 | 11.58 | 11.93 | 12.37 |
| Metropolitan Borough of Wirral | Lab | 12 | 12.28 | 12.28 | 12.28 | 12.28 |
| Stoke-on-Trent City Council | Lab | 12.8 | 13.2 | 13.8 | 13.2 | 13.2 |
| Gateshead | Lab | 9.5 | 11 | 10.5 | 11.48 | 11.48 |
| Islington | Lab | 13.64 | 13.52 | 13.66 | 13.66 | 13.64 |
| Newham | Lab | n/a | n/a | n/a | 11.62 | 11.62 |
| Darlington | Lab | 10.51 | full cost | full cost | full cost | full cost |
| Waltham Forest | Lab | 15.04 | 15.28 | 15.94 | 16.45 | 16.94 |
| Nottingham City | Lab | 8.9 | 9.2 | 11.5 | 13.66 | 13.66 |
| Newcastle City Council | Lab | 9.75 | 10 | 10 | 11.72 | 11 |
| Hackney | Lab | 10.85 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11.35 |
| Tower Hamlets | Lab | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oldham | Lab | 12.5 | 12.5 | 12.95 | 12.95 | 12.95 |
Weekly Care Charge Cap:
| Authority | Control | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 |
| Lincolnshire County Council | Con | 126 | 126 | 250 | 250 | 250 |
| Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council | Con | 245 | 250 | 258 | 271 | 278 |
| Norfolk County Council | Con | 273 | 278 | 283.56 | 283.56 | 289.22 |
| Essex County Council | Con | 439.11 | 445.69 | 459.48 | 459.48 | 464.1 |
| Lancashire County Council | Con | 595 | 595 | 625 | 655 | 655 |
| Bournemouth Borough Council | Con | 440 | no cap | no cap | no cap | no cap |
| Buckinghamshire County Council | Con | 280 | no cap | no cap | no cap | no cap |
| Hampshire County Council | Con | 435.82 | 440.23 | 440.23 | no cap | no cap |
| North Yorkshire County Council | Con | 260 | no cap | no cap | no cap | no cap |
| Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council | Con | 176 | 185 | 194.25 | 203.96 | no cap |
| Richmond Council | Con | 310 | 320 | no cap | no cap | no cap |
| Kingston-Upon-Hull City Council | Lab | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 | 99 |
| Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 60 | 60 | 90 | 9 | 105 |
| Derby City Council | Lab | 80 | 80 | 125 | 125 | 125 |
| Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 182.52 | 188 | 193.64 | 199.44 | 206.82 |
| Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 200 | 200 | 230 | 240 | 246 |
| Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 338.91 | 342.3 | 335.46 | 335.46 | 335.46 |
| Bury Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 | 400 |
| City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council | Lab | 113 | 402 | 402 | 402 | 402 |
| London Borough of Brent | Lab | 415.44 | 415.44 | 415.44 | no cap | no cap |
| Plymouth City Council | Lab | 270 | 270 | no cap | no cap | no cap |
| St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council | Lab | no cap | no cap | no cap | no cap | no cap |
| Stoke-on-Trent City Council | Lab | 128 | 132 | no cap | no cap | no cap |
| Gateshead | Lab | 150 | 160 | 184 | 194 | 199 |
| Newham | Lab | n/a | n/a | n/a | 200 | 200 |
| Waltham Forest | Lab | 230 | 233.5 | 233.5 | 233.5 | no cap |
| Nottingham City | Lab | 78.5 | 81 | no cap | no cap | no cap |
| Newcastle | Lab | 150 | 150 | 150 | 200 | 400 |
| Knowsley | Lab | 150 | 150 | 200 | 200 | 200 |