Councillor Comments on Care Charges Change

Commenting on the news that Aberdeenshire Council is to review the threshold at which people will be expected to fully fund their care, Banchory Councillor Linda Clark said:

© Aberdeenshire Council

“Aberdeenshire was one of the last local authorities in Scotland still offering a subsidy towards care charges before this change. While I understand the concerns which some have, the important thing is that everyone will still receive the care they are assessed as needing whether they can afford to pay for it or not. All that is different is that those people who are assessed as being able to pay the full cost of their care will now be asked to do so.

“After meeting with residents at Dalvenie Gardens, I made representations on their behalf to my administration colleagues. As a result of this, Aberdeenshire Council has recognised the need to work more closely and on an individual basis with care home residents and their representatives, as well as to review the £16,000 threshold. This will give everyone who wants one the chance to have a full financial assessment to make sure that they are claiming all of the support which is available, as well as to give more time for those who need it to adjust their affairs to meet the new charges.

“Aberdeenshire Council has to look after the interests of many different vulnerable groups, and I never want to see us get into the position where we have to choose to prioiritise the best interests of one group against another, which is where keeping this 65% across the board subsidy would eventually have led us. We must be able to continue to provide a good level of care in the face of increasing demand, and I believe it’s only reasonable to ask people who can afford to pay more for their care to do so in order to achieve that.”