To agree on the implementation the charging policy and to exercise discretion in determining how much service users will be asked to contribute to their care costs.

The recommendations were amended and then agreed.

DECISION

1.            To agree a standard allowance of £15 per week for all utilities (e.g. heating, water and electricity) which will be disregarded from the income used for charging for community-based services.

2.            To agree to use a higher standard weekly minimum income guarantee (MIG) for adults under pension age of £151.45 when determining how much service users will be asked to contribute to their care costs for community-based services.

3.            To agree a cap on care charges of £250 a week to limit the maximum amount that could be charged to an individual user.    

4.            To agree that the local authority will not charge interest rates on deferred payments for residential and nursing care whilst the client remains in residential/nursing care.

5.            To agree that the local authority will charge administration fees (set out in Appendix IV) in relation to deferred payments for residential or nursing care that reflect the actual costs incurred by the local authority. 

6.            To agree that the local authority will disregard 10 per cent of any rental income when calculating how much a person with a Deferred Payments Agreement needs to pay towards the cost of residential or nursing care.

7.            To note that officers will provide the Mayor with regular monitoring information to enable issues to be highlighted as the implementation progresses.

Action by:

DIRECTOR, ADULTS’ SERVICES (D. RADLEY)

(Project Manager (H. Donnellon)