Manchester residents receiving free care in the home may be asked to pay the full fee as part of a council bid to save funds.
A Manchester City Council budget consultation proposed altering “non-residential care charging” for those with assets over a certain threshold.
Currently the council provides care in the home free of charge for adults with less than £14,250 in assets.
Those with more than £14,250 in assets are required to pay £1 per £250 extra – so those with £15,000 in assets currently pay a charge of £3.
Under the new proposal, outlined on the budget consultation, care receivers with assets exceeding £23,250 would be required to pay the full monthly cost of their care plus an arrangement fee – and a yearly fee if paid annually.
This would only apply to residents living in their own homes but receiving council-funded assistance for things like bathing, dressing, managing medication, household tasks and going out in the community.
Any changes to non-residential care support will not affect NHS services or those being charged for a permanent or temporary care home place.
This is part of a £41million package of potential savings levers the council could pull in order to raise income without directly cutting services.
The council say its current funding model is more generous than other local authorities and takes money away from services for those who are less financially secure.
Savings options elsewhere could find £7.9m from Children’s Services, £9.8m from Corporate budgets, £2.7m from Growth & Development and £524,000 from Public Health.
Once agreed upon by councillors, the savings would be delivered between 2025/26 and 2027/28.
The Executive will meet today (Wednesday) and these proposals are expected to be part of the agenda.
The council has been contacted for comment.
Feature image: Manchester town hall, by Jack Lyons
Join the discussion