Councils told to scrap meal charges now

MSPs urge local authorities to give refunds to those wrongly charged

By Tim Pauling

Published:

Pressure is growing on Scottish councils to stop charging for preparing meals for people who get free personal and nursing care.

The Scottish Parliament voted yesterday to call on the eight councils that still charge to stop “forthwith”.

Councils that charged in the past were asked to give a refund to everyone who was “wrongly” charged.

The vote was in response to a debate on the review of free personal care carried out by Lord Sutherland.

He found that the policy was sound but required more funding, greater consistency and transparency, as well as better planning.

Last week, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said she was accepting Lord Sutherland’s recommendations in full and would make up the £40million shortfall in the free personal care budget.

She also planned to introduce legislation to stop councils charging for preparing meals.

Eight councils currently charge for the service: Argyll and Bute, Dundee, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders and Stirling.

It is estimated that it would cost councils £20million a year to reimburse those wrongly charged for the service.

The Scottish Government said it would be for individual councils to find the cost if they decided to pay up.

A government spokeswoman said councils would be expected to cover the cost from the £40million announced by Ms Sturgeon.

Yesterday’s decision was the result of a Conservative amendment.

Last night, Tory chief whip David McLetchie said councils on the “roll of shame” should stop charging now.

It was up to the government to ensure councils had the necessary finance.

Labour was accused of a U-turn after refusing to back the motion, stating that the government should “pursue vigorously” UK ministers to reinstate £30million in attendance allowances, withheld when free personal care was introduced, after backing Lord Sutherland’s report.

But Labour health spokesman Margaret Curran said she would not let the SNP misrepresent Labour’s position.

“We do accept and have consistently argued that the resources should come to Scotland,” Ms Curran told the health secretary.

“But I will not allow you to use that as just an attempt to get into a narrow dispute with London.”

Lib Dem health spokesman Ross Finnie said: “The Labour Party is in complete disarray.”

South of Scotland SNP MSP Aileen Campbell said: “This is a shameful U-turn from Labour.”