Council's care fees rise for first time since 2017

A council is raising some of its fees for adult social care services for the first time since 2017.

Reform UK-led Nottinghamshire County Council expects to raise about £1.5m from the increase, which includes higher charges on costs like home care and administrative fees.

Barry Answer, the council's lead for adult social care, said the authority cannot continue to absorb costs as the party looks to save millions in the budget.

But Conservative opposition councillor Jonathan Wheeler said these extra charges will be paid by the most vulnerable in society.

Not all costs are increasing, but the areas that are include a new £75.97 set up fee for self funder arrangement, and appointee fees, which will go up from £57.24 to £61 per month.

The council, which has been led by Reform since May, is facing an overspend in adult social care of £10m.

The Reform leadership will set their first budget in February, and have proposed a rise of 3.99% in the authority's part of the council tax bill to help balance the books.

Their calculations are based on finding about £44m of savings over the next three years, including £21.3m in the adult social care budget.

Answer said: "We can't continue year on year to absorb the costs.

"We're not asking people to pay anything above and beyond what it's costing us.

"We chose to bring these in, bearing in mind there's been no additional costs since 2017.

"What we don't want to do is reduce the standard of service or care. We want to maintain that, and we will maintain that.

"But at the same time we have to be aware that there's a cost to us… We have to work to a budget like everyone else does."

He added people's financial positions were assessed and only those who can afford it will have to pay.

But Wheeler said: "There's a very low threshold for when you've got to pay for your own care.

"There's some increase in charges of nearly 50% for some people on some aspects of their fees.

"The council and the new administration are trying to claim they're going to be saving money by not putting council tax up and looking to make savings on social care.

"They're saying that with one hand, with another, they're putting up fees for our most vulnerable."

The decision was approved by the cabinet on Thursday and the charges will come into effect from April. The fees will now be reviewed every year.

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