Reform slammed for 'outrageous' plans to increase social care fees

CABINET AGREES MOVE TO RAISE NEARLY £1.5M

- By JOE LOCKER

REFORM-LED Nottinghamshire County Council’s plans to put up adult social care fees in a bid to raise nearly £1.5 million have been branded “outrageous”.

The authority currently provides care for 12,700 adults on a permanent basis, while 4,600 people are receiving temporary care.

Some people are required to pay fees for certain services, including appointee and deputyship services, if a financial assessment deems them able to.

Fees have not changed since 2017, with the council's previous Conservative administration arguing it had sought to keep costs down for some of the county’s most vulnerable adults.

But Reform’s cabinet agreed to a rise to some fees - to claim back some of the costs to the council to the tune of almost £1.5 million - at a meeting on Thursday.

Some service users will therefore see their fees go up from April.

Councillor Sam Smith (Con), the leader of the Nottinghamshire Conservatives opposition group, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “The fees haven't been increased since 2017, and 2017 is a really key point because that is when the Conservatives took over control of the council.

“The reason why the fees weren't increased is because Conservatives believe in supporting the most vulnerable when they require it.