Food preparation charges for elderly to go

Government to end authorities' ability to charge under personal care scheme

News, 16 May 2008

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The Scottish Government is to end the practice by some local councils of charging elderly people for food preparation despite the free personal care scheme.

MSPs voted yesterday to support a bid by Conservative member David McLetchie to outlaw the practice, currently the policy of eight councils - Glasgow, Dundee, Orkney, North Lanarkshire, Argyll and Bute, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders and Stirling.

Mr McLetchie successfully proposed an amendment to the motion, also passed, demanding the reinstatement by Westminster of the £30 million attendance allowance for people in care homes. His amendment further called for the repayment of the estimated £25 million already levied from old people, but ministers have not committed to including this in any amending legislation.

Mr McLetchie said it was wrong that a postcocde lottery should determine which pensioners received free personal care, when the policy was meant to be of universal benefit to old people living in Scotland. The eight councils concerned take in a third of the Scottish population.

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