Bexley Council have agreed to change their policy for charging for social care after people in the borough were found to have paid "over the odds."

One man ended up have to pay 200% more just in administrative costs after an unfair new policy was introduced.

Bexley Council has since proposed a new policy after agreeing to revise its social care charging policy following an investigation.

The problem came to light after a man complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after the local authority increased its costs.

He told the watchdog that the council had increase the amount it charged him in administrative costs for it to manage his mother’s domiciliary care package.

The man said as a result the cost increased by 200 per cent. He had been paying a flat cost of £260 a year for the council to arrange and administer the care.

But when the council switched to charging everyone 6.1% of a person's care and support package, the man was faced with paying £793 per year.

The ombudsman said the man complained to the council but the council delayed responding to his concerns.

Initially it did not uphold his complaint, but after further discussion it accepted that those with larger packages were paying too much – and more than the actual costs the council incurred.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “The blanket charge brought in by the council is not in line with statutory guidance and has meant some people in the Bexley area are paying over the odds, and more than the costs incurred by the council.

“The council now needs to put in place a system that is fair to all and ensure the new charging policy is in line with government guidance.”

Bexley Council agreed to change their policy and say they have now proposed a fair new policy based on a banded system.

In this case, the ombudsman ruled that the council should apologise to the man and pay him £150 for the time and trouble in making the complaint.

It also said the council should remind staff about dealing with complaints in a timely manner, addressing the complaints made, and put in place a revised charging policy.

It will also retrospectively apply any new or revised policy from May 2019 to the family and other similarly affected people and, if applicable, credit or refund their accounts.

 

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