Aberdeenshire councillors have admitted their introduction of higher care costs for vulnerable people was poorly handled.
And the controversy took a new twist yesterday when the local authority revealed the policy could be scaled back in the years ahead.
In April, the 35% cap on how much people who use non-residential care in Aberdeenshire are charged was scrapped, forcing dozens of people to pay thousands of pounds in additional fees.
The move sparked widespread anger across the region and councillors conceded the £16,000 threshold at which service users pay for their care in full was set too low.
The threshold has now been increased to £26,250, backdated to April. Any overpayments will be reimbursed.
Members of the social work and housing committee backed the U-turn, but the row over the implementation of the costs will rumble on.
Opposition councillors have now formally called for the new fees to be phased in over a five-year period rather than implemented immediately.
Turriff councillor Anne Robertson, social work spokeswoman for the Alliance opposition group, said: “At the December meeting, when this was discussed, we agreed the principle and asked to look at the implementation in a particular way.
“I think we need to look closely at how it was implemented and what lessons can be learned. We have all had correspondence from people in our area.”
Mrs Robertson added that many care users had struggled with the scale of the new fees, saying: “We would like to propose that retrospective phasing is introduced due to the magnitude.”
The opposition have called for the fees to be phased in over at least a five-year period from April, retrospectively.
Although the committee unanimously backed the new fees when they convened last year, there is a consensus among councillors that the policy was poorly handled.
Independent councillor Dave Stewart said: “After I heard a few cases and saw the implications of what we were doing to vulnerable people, their carers and family, I felt sick to my stomach then and I do now.”
Adam Coldwells, the chief of the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership, added: “We’ve done lots of rethinking on that – understandably, there are things we could do better in the future.”
However, Mr Coldwells argued the committee did not have the financial power to cut back the charges. The decision will now be referred to full council.
