Vulnerable and disabled people across Sutton could be forced to pay hundreds of pounds more for their care as the council consults on proposed changes to adult social care charges.

The planned move to means test some of those currently receiving disability benefits could affect some of the borough’s most vulnerable and has been deemed ‘morally wrong’ by carers.

The council has said that the proposed changes to adult social care are necessary and that help will still be available for those who need it.

However, many carers and disabled people have said it feels like they are being punished for a ‘life they never chose’.

One Carshalton resident Julie Blunden, who has become a full-time carer for her husband Ray since his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, feels the council has chosen disabled people as an ‘easy target’ for cuts.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “This makes the Winter Fuel Allowance cut look positively benevolent.”

Julie has started a petition calling on the council to rethink the plans as she faces a bill of around £300 a month more.

She has spoken about the impact this will have on her and her husband, an ex-Royal Marine.

Sutton Council currently offers social care services to over 2,000 adults of all ages in the borough who have learning disabilities, physical disabilities, or mental health conditions.

Social care is not free at the point of delivery and currently takes up £84.7m of Sutton’s £222.2m budget for 2024/25.

The council hopes these proposals will allow them to make savings across the board and deal with the rising cost of giving care. It said it is only acting in line with what other councils have already done.

The consultation has already been running for around 13 weeks and ends on Sunday (October 27).

Under the proposals, the council will introduce charging for some existing services which are currently free.

It will also include the full amount of disability benefit in charge calculations, thereby reducing how much it will cover from its own budget, and will consider claims for night care costs on a case-by-case basis.

The changes have been broken down into the three proposals below, with all three proposals potentially combining to save the council money:

Proposal 1: Assistive Technology

Assistive technology, the sensors and equipment which help people who struggle with everyday activities, are not currently charged for by the council.

Under the proposals, people who have been assessed as being able to pay for their care in full, or who have not had a financial assessment, could now be charged the full cost of the service which currently stands at £8.57 per week, equating to £445.64 a year. It would also cost an extra £33.95 to join this service.

The council has specified that those who get funding for care and only pay a contribution towards the cost of care would not have to pay.

Those who need assistive technology to ensure safety and reduce risk for the first six weeks after being discharged from the hospital under the NHS Discharge to Access programmes, and those who have it installed for an interim period to inform a package of care, will also not have to pay.

Proposal 2: Include the full amount of disability benefit in charge calculations and consider night care claims on a case-by-case basis

Currently, the council only takes into account the standard rate rather than the higher or enhanced rate disability benefits like Personal Independence Payments (PIP), Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance.

The higher and enhanced rates, used by those with more complex disabilities, can be used to pay for day or night time care costs.

Under the proposals, people who receive the higher or enhanced rate of these benefits would now have £108.55 taken into account in their financial assessment rather than the current £72.65, meaning they would contribute more to the overall cost.

This proposal would only affect those on the higher and enhanced rate. The council has insisted the amount people pay for their care depends on the level of disability-related expenses (DRE) they claim.

Night care costs will be judged on a case-by-case basis. If you currently pay for support at night, the council could allow this as a DRE which in turn can be claimed back.

This could cover all or part of the costs, depending on how much you pay.

This would not apply if you do not currently pay for support at night. In addition, you will have to pay an extra £35.90 a week on top of your other social care costs.

Proposal 3: Appointee ship services

An appointee is a registered person or organisation who manages someone’s benefits when they cannot do so.

They are often used when an individual has late-stage Alzheimer’s or is bed-bound, and until now the council has not charged for its appointee service.

Under the proposals, the council would ask those using the council’s service with savings above £3,000 to pay towards it.

This would amount to an annual management fee of 3.5 per cent of someone’s savings if they have between £3,000 and £20,300; or an annual fee of £824 for anyone with savings above that amount.

The council has specified charges will only apply to those using their appointee ship services. Residents using private services would be unaffected under this option.

What residents say

The Care Act of 2014 gives the council its legal basis to charge people for their social care.

The act stipulates local authorities should ensure ‘people are not charged more than it is reasonably practicable for them to pay’.

However, a number of residents who have read the proposals during the current consultation period feel this is exactly what is happening, and that the charges will make life harder than it already is for disabled people and those who care for them.

A petition has been launched by carer Julie Blunden through Change.org. The petition has so far attracted over 1,500 signatories and pages of personal testimonies from fellow carers.

One commenter, Jane Adams, said: “I’m signing because I’m an unpaid carer and my severely disabled son and daughter can’t speak for themselves. They spend their lives in wheelchairs, and my son in particular can’t sit up unsupported or feed himself.

“The council plans to take more money from them. Their income is already so low and their lives are so restricted, don’t they deserve to keep the money that is meant to make their lives a little easier?”

Another, Nikki McGurk, said: “It already costs far too much to be disabled. It’s sickening that the council see disabilities as an easy target to charge more.”

A spokesperson for Sutton Council said: “Demand and costs for adult social care have significantly increased while funding has not. With the continued lack of funding from the government, Sutton Council, along with most local authorities, has no choice but to review the services it provides and how it charges for them in order to protect the most vulnerable.

“The council is carrying out a 13-week consultation on changes it could make to its adult social care charging policy.

"The consultation was publicised through a wide range of channels and the council worked with voluntary sector organisations to set up focus groups and reach as many affected residents as possible.

“The council has listened to the views of more than 300 residents and has responded by extending the consultation, providing more information and holding additional events. Residents are encouraged to share their views by October 27.”