Cumbria County Council has welcomed today’s judicial review ruling that its decision in September 2007 to introduce day care charging was lawful.
The judicial review was supported by two branches of Age Concern Cumbria who challenged the way the county council consulted prior to its decision in Februrary 2007 to introduce a charge for day care services.
In response, the council embarked on more consultation in August this year before presenting the results to a full meeting of the council in September 2007. Here, councillors reconfirmed their decision to introduce the new means-tested charge on 1 October.
The county council brought in the new charge to help meet the cost of providing care services for Cumbria's ageing population.
The Local Government Association has highlighted the faliure of central government funding to keep pace with this demand and several other local authorities have sought to meet funding shortfalls by restricting the care they provide to the most critical cases only - something Cumbria has been keen to avoid.
Cumbria's obvious attraction as a retirement destination is a major reason why Cumbria’s population of older people is growing faster than the national average.
Commenting on today’s ruling, Cumbria County Council’s director of Adult Social Care & Health Jill Stannard, said: "We are pleased with today's decision.
"As the Local Government Association has highlighted, central government support for social care has not kept pace with the demands of an ageing population.
"In Cumbria, the problem is particularly acute with the county’s obvious attraction as a retirement destination, a major reason why Cumbria’s population of older people is growing faster than the national average.
"Other local authorities are seeking to plug shortfalls in care funding by limiting the care they provide to older people with the most critical needs only.
"Cumbria County Council wants to avoid taking this approach which would mean removing care from many older people across the county.
"That is why we have introduced a new £10 charge for day care services (£5 per session) which is means-tested with only those who can afford to contribute, asked to contribute.
"Under the charge, which was introduced last month, around 30 per cent of users will pay nothing, 50 per cent will pay a portion and 20 per cent will pay the full charge up to a limit of £175 per week.
"If people are also receiving home care and paying up to the maximum £175 per week charge, they will not be asked to pay anything towards their day care.
"The new charge has been set at the lower end of what service users can expect to pay in other parts of England. For example, in Cheshire day care users can expect to pay £20 for day care while in Gloucestershire, the charge is £31.45 a day.
"All the money raised through the new charge is being ploughed back into providing more choice and independence for older people in Cumbria."
ENDS
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