Disabled people’s organisation blasts ‘shameful’ Norfolk care charge plans

A disabled people’s organisation has written to Norfolk County Council urging it to drop plans to increase charges for adult care users.

Norfolk Council plans to save money by cutting the minimum income guarantee (MIG) for council-funded care service users by more than £60 a month.

The MIG is the amount of money that councils must ensure care users have after paying care charges – so, if the MIG is £200 a week, a council cannot impose care charges that would leave a care user with less than £200 a week.

Nationally, the government sets an MIG for different types of care users, based on age, level of disability and household formation, but councils are allowed to set their own MIG above the national standards.

As part of its 2024/25 budget, Norfolk is consulting on plans to cut its MIG level for working age adults from £187.13 a week down to £171.75, which is the current government MIG for working age adults over 25. The council is also considering introducing a reduced MIG for 18-24 year olds of £150.25.

However, Norfolk disability organisation JR Information and Monitoring Group (JRIMG) has branded the proposals “shameful”.

In a letter to the council, JRIMG chair Thomas Fadden said: “This shocking 10% cut will severely impact disabled people’s already low standard of living in the current economic climate. The MIG has not been increased annually in line with inflation, and disabled people paying charges will not see the benefit of increases in some DWP benefits due to the MIG threshold.”

The council says that cutting the MIG for everyone to £171.75 would affect 1,600 people, who might have to pay between £2.50 and £18 a week more for their care. Introducing the lower rate for young adults would see around 95 18-24 year olds pay between £2.50 and £40 more per week for their care, and around 1,505 people between 25 and pension age pay an additional £2.50 to £18 a week.

‘These proposals target some of the most vulnerable members of our community and will have significant and dire consequences. A similar proposal to target disabled people and cut their net income a few years ago resulted in legal action, which found the policy unlawful and discriminatory. Norfolk County Council claimed no intention to discriminate and apologised. However, these current proposals make a mockery of that plea,’ JRIMG’s letter said.

‘We urge you to resist targeting cuts on the most vulnerable residents and to prioritize Adult Social Care services using the funds from central government.’

The consultation closes in May.

Image: Possessed Photography

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