Extra £5-a-day plan for charge at Mid Wales day centres
Elderly people and their families could pay an additional £5 per day to attend local authority-run day centres, if a report is approved by cabinet members next week.
In the report going before Powys County Council's cabinet members, councillors will consider hiking up the weekly cost of day centres from £60 to £70, increasing the daily charge from £10 to £15 per day, as well as proposing an increase in the charge for meals provided at the day centres, from £5 to £7.50 per day.
Councillor Stephen Hayes, portfolio holder for adult social care, and author of the report, said: "The One Powys Plan recognises that the council is facing significant budget reductions and the estimated number of people aged over 80 in Powys is rising.
"The proportion of residents aged over 80 is predicted to increase from 6.5 per cent in 2012 to 14 per cent in 2036.
"If we are to make the service sustainable then we need to charge those residents who have the ability to contribute to the possible increased cost of care."
The local authority say the proposed increase in the day centre attendance charge will generate an additional £30,200 for the council's adult social care budget.
But in an impact assessment undertaken by the authority, its strategic commissioning manager for older people, Dylan Owen, admitted the plans to increase day centre charges could have a "detrimental" effect on those affected and that those individuals could refuse services and, therefore, have less monitoring.
Councillor Hayes says the maximum charge for community-based social care services is set by the Welsh Government. Currently it is £60 per week and was last increased from £55 to £60 in April 2015, and remained at £60 in April 2016.
He said: "The consultation undertaken on daytime activities made it clear that attendees at day centres would be willing to pay more for the service if that would support their ongoing sustainability."
The proposals to increase charges comes just months after Powys County Council's cabinet decided to keep all of the county's day centres open, despite fears they would close as part of cost-cutting measures.
Members will consider the proposals at the meeting on Tuesday, starting at 9am.
