Costs Rising For elderly people at Fessey House in Haydon WickPENSIONERS using day care centres are facing a rise in charges of nearly 4,000 per cent since last year.

The charges were increased by nearly 700 per cent from 65p per day to £5 in October.

Now Swindon Council is planning to increase the daily charge to £26, an increase of 420 per cent on the current charge but a 3,900 per cent rise from last year's 65p charge.

Labour leader Coun David Nash (Lab, Central), hit out at the rise, which is part of the Conservative council's plans to keep the council tax rise down.

"I find it incredible that the Tories use the smokescreen of a three per cent council tax increase to mask the introduction of massively increased charges for council services," he said.

"Don't they want to talk about the increases of up to 420 per cent which day care centre users face? This comes on top of a massive increase already pushed through by the Tories which means that they have seen charges rise from 65p a day to £26 per day in April 2005. The real increase year on year is a whopping 3,900 per cent."

The rise, which could affect the 205 elderly people who currently use day care in Swindon, comes days after the council abandoned plans to start charging their employees for parking at work and gave Gavin Jones, deputy chief executive, a £22,000 pay rise.

Charging council workers for parking would save £150,000.

Mr Jones's new role puts him in charge of driving up improvements at the council. He will be directly responsible to the chief executive, Simon Birch.

Coun Nash also said he was concerned the council was taking risks and could have to introduce a second tax rate if it ran out of money and needed to raise money if their plans did not work.

"The report to cabinet rings some loud alarm bells," he said.

"Sailing this close to the wind raises the danger of repeating their ill-fated history, namely of having to introduce a secondary rate of tax when the whole thing comes crashing down."

The council justified the October increase by saying it brought the charges into line with other councils and stressing that the charges were means-tested.

Coun Nick Martin (Con, Shaw & Nine Elms), cabinet member for finance, said: "The Government suggested that we should increase spending on social services by £2.3 million and we have actually increased it by £5 million.

"We have directed huge sums of new money into the care sector and I do mean huge.

"We have put a lot of time into trying to look after the people we care about."

But Jo Osorio, director of Age Concern Swindon, which runs one of the town's five-day care centres for the elderly at Fessey House in Haydon Wick, said: "The proposed increase will come as a surprise to many people.

"A 420 per cent increase is a remarkable suggestion.

"Anything that reduces the support that older people get is unacceptable. This is going to affect people who come to our centre and others in the town as well. It's extraordinary. It would have a dramatic affect on people's pockets."

All those who use day care and refuse a financial assessment or have savings above £20,000 will pay the full charge.

The cabinet voted in favour of a three per cent tax rise on Wednesday night, meaning £10m of cuts is likely to go ahead.

The cabinet went back on plans to increase burial charges by seven per cent and also to charge staff to park at work so an extra £174,000 of savings now need to be found.

The budget must be approved by full council on February 21.

'We can't afford these rises'

Great-grandmother Margaret Woolford, 81, from Pinehurst, who attends Fessey House day centre, branded the proposed hikes disgusting.

She said: "I have been coming here for about seven years it's a great place to mix with others. I would feel really isolated if I didn't. Pensioners can't afford rises like this."

Edna Browning, 72, from Pinehurst, who also goes to Fessey House, added: "This day centre is so important to pensioners. If I didn't come here I would be sat at home on my own all day."

Comparison

How much do other councils charge for day care:

Oxfordshire County Council £3.80.

Wiltshire County Council £4.35.

Gloucestershire County Council £10.25 a day and £5.12 for a half-day.

Isabel Field