Tory Tax on Telecare proposed again

• Conservative Mayor is proposing to charge vulnerable residents £200 a year for telecare services. Liberal Democrats successfully blocked plans in 2024, including winning a majority vote of Full Council.
• Having frittered away Council money on pet projects, the Conservative executive is once again proposing to charge for this vital lifeline.
• The Council’s own impact assessment says women and the elderly will be most harmed by this proposal.

Liberal Democrats have reacted with anger and disbelief at the Conservative Mayor’s decision to charge for the vital Telecare service for users who do not have Care Act eligible needs. 

Residents contacted Liberal Democrat Councillors on the previous occasion that charges were threatened, for example:

“I have been worried sick since receiving the letter and the proposed charges…. I understand that savings have to be made somewhere within the Council, but I think it is completely unacceptable that the most vulnerable in society are having to literally pay the price.”

Cllr Hilde Hendrickx said: “Despite the council’s own evidence showing the profound impact this charge would have on users, including distressed and concerned residents in the ward I represent, and despite a consultation report overwhelmingly opposed to this charge on the most vulnerable, the Conservatives plan to press ahead.

“It is wrong to balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable. But this is also a false economy – supporting people to remain independent, in their own homes, is not only morally right, but helps people stay out of the care system.”

Cllr Henry Vann said: “This is a disgraceful attack on the vulnerable. We kept this vital lifeline free and now the Conservatives are planning an extra £200 charge in a targeted attack on some of our most vulnerable residents. We are urging them to think again.

“The income generated by this new charge is built on the assumption that between 25% and 40% of current users will stop using the service altogether – leaving people vulnerable at home.   I urge the Mayor to not balance the books on the backs of the most vulnerable.”