Nottingham City Council recently introduced charges for people to attend its Day Centres, although not without there being a large campaign of opposition to this proposal. The charges have now come in and within weeks, the Council proposes to increase them from £2 to £3.50 a day. In addition, transport charges could go up from £2.60 to £4 daily, home care from £9.20 to £11.50 an hour, meals at home from £2.60 to £3.00 and there is also a proposal to scrap the maximum cap on home charges (currently £81).
Such massive increases will have a huge impact on users of these services, many of whom will have to either reduce or stop using them altogether. This in turn threatens the existance and future of these services (since one way of cutting services is to run them down and then say no one wants or needs them). There is a very short consultation period on these proposals and any responses should be sent to the City Council by 9 December 2010, to Helen Jones, Director for Adult Community Inclusion, Nottingham City Council, Loxley House, Station Street, Nottingham. NG2 3NG. Tel: 0115 915 5555. The City Council Executive Board will make a decision on 21 December with a view to implementation on New Years Day.
Nottingham City Unison has called a protest outside the Executive Board meeting 12.30pm on Tuesday 21 December, Old Market Square. All SOS and other community campaigner and trade unions are invited to participate.