MANY elderly and disabled people will face hikes in the cost of their care, after council bosses approved controversial changes today.

But there were protests from carers, who said the move could leave vulnerable people isolated.

The changes will bring in means-testing for the first time and could affect around 3,500 people across the district, with some paying more and others less. Local health watchdog Healthwatch and national charity Mencap had both spoken out against the changes ahead of yesterday’s meeting at City Hall.

The meeting heard the move would bring in an extra £1m of revenue to the council, which would be reinvested in adult social care.

Officers said it was very difficult to know how each individual service user would be affected until their circumstances were assessed.

But one carer, Susan Munro, who has two adult sons with learning disabilities, said increased care charges would eat into the amount that people with learning disabilities could spend on activities which stop them from becoming isolated.

She said: “Most learning disabled people are unable to entertain themselves. They can’t follow a television programme or read a book. Most learning disabled people can’t read and they can’t take themselves out for a walk.”

Another carer, Stephen Metcalfe, said the a public consultation had been far too difficult for anyone, let alone people with learning disabilities, to understand.

Deputy council leader Councillor Val Slater, whose portfolio includes social care, said she accepted the consultation had been flawed and that was “embarrassing for me”.

She said: “I wasn’t aware of this until the very end so I do apologise for that and we have to take learning from this.”

But she said the council’s budget cuts meant they had little choice but to make the changes.

She said: “This is not what most people came into politics to do but in my opinion at the moment we don’t have any option.”

Council leader, Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, said she had been reassured by officers that the money people spent on activities would be taken into account before their spare income was assessed.

Afterwards, Mrs Munro said: “I really think it appeared to be a done deal. I think we were wasting our time, quite honestly.”

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