Medway Council is aware that government only a few weeks ago has broken their manifesto promises to cap the £72,000 maximum amount the over 65s can pay to help with home care and nursing home costs. The amount is now unlimited so Medway Council is now posed to start taking money from pensioners’ bank accounts or register loan charges on pensioners’ homes for the full crippling costs of care services until they have only £23,000 left. This is devastating and unfair news for the frail and vulnerable in Medway.
Would the Portfolio Holder for Adult Services agree to write to all Medway Pensioners to:
(i) confirm the best way they can plan for such devastating payments in the future;
(ii) assure them that the lack of Council funds following the extra 2% Council Tax paid for additional adult care is not in anyway associated to money being invested by the Council in any offshore tax haven or foreign accounts to prevent proper amounts of tax being paid like the rest of Medway hardworking residents have to pay under PAYE and;
(iii) state that the Council will be supporting a vote to leave the EU which is a vote for a new fair tax system that will stop tax dodging by big companies and rich conservatives and allow the Government and Medway Council to properly and fully fund home care service charges for elderly residents which are fully funded by Scotland councils?
Minutes:
“Medway Council is aware that government only a few weeks ago has broken their manifesto promises to cap the £72,000 maximum amount the over 65s can pay to help with home care and nursing home costs. The amount is now unlimited so Medway Council is now posed to start taking money from pensioners’ bank accounts or register loan charges on pensioners’ homes for the full crippling costs of care services until they have only £23,000 left. This is devastating and unfair news for the frail and vulnerable in Medway.
Would the Portfolio Holder for Adult Services agree to write to all Medway Pensioners to:
(i) confirm the best way they can plan for such devastating payments in the future;
(ii) assure them that the lack of Council funds following the extra 2% Council Tax paid for additional adult care is not in anyway associated to money being invested by the Council in any offshore tax haven or foreign accounts to prevent proper amounts of tax being paid like the rest of Medway hardworking residents have to pay under PAYE and;
(iii) state that the Council will be supporting a vote to leave the EU which is a vote for a new fair tax system that will stop tax dodging by big companies and rich conservatives and allow the Government and Medway Council to properly and fully fund home care service charges for elderly residents which are fully funded by Scotland councils?”
Councillor Brake stated that the care cap initially proposed in the Care Act for introduction from 1 April 2016 was postponed by Central Government in July 2015 with a view that it will be re-visited in 2020. Detailed information in relation to the proposed cap had not been finally agreed.
The capital limits, i.e. £23,250, taken into consideration in financial assessments related to charging for social care were defined by the Department of Health and had been used in Adult Social Care in Medway for a number of years, through both the Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide and Fairer Charging Policy, which were both now superseded by The Care Act 2014 “The Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014”.
The National Assistance Act 1948 provided Medway Council with the duty to charge adults in receipt of care and support services and the introduction of the Care Act 2014 enabled the Council to continue with this arrangement. The changes for charging introduced through the Care Act had little impact for Medway Residents as a charging policy was already in place. However, it was recognised that specific additions to charging could be made and a full public consultation was carried out in May 2015.
The outcome of the consultation enabled the changes to be introduced as outlined.
He stated that officers continued to carry out financial assessments for clients who were assessed as needing a care and support package. The financial assessment ensured that clients would only be required to pay what they could afford as calculated by the assessment; furthermore the financial assessment process allowed clear and transparent information to be provided so clients knew what they would be charged.
In relation to item 2, the Council did not invest in offshore tax havens or foreign accounts and certainly did not seek to prevent proper amounts of tax being paid.
He stated that with regard to item 3, it was not really appropriate to answer this question given the debate that would take place later in the meeting (agenda item 19B (Motion)).