A Bedford Borough Council committee has confirmed it has no concerns over plans to introduce a weekly charge for its previously free Telecare service, despite Lib Dem opposition and a predicted drop in usage.
The Adults Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee reached its decision on 16 July, after hearing representations from three of the seven councillors who had called in the Executive’s original decision.
They cited concerns that the £4 per week fee would drive users away from a service designed to keep elderly and disabled residents safe in their homes.
Read: New Telecare charges across Bedford Borough proposed but critics aren’t happy
Cllr Michael Headley (Lib Dem, Putnoe) questioned the financial rationale, highlighting that £2.50 of the £4 charge per user per week would go towards collection costs alone, leaving only £1.50 to cover the actual service.
“That doesn’t sound much like an efficient collection system,” he said.
“[It] does make you suspicious that the charge is less about recovering some of the costs but more about the 40 percent reduction in usage by those that are being charged.
“Is this what is euphemistically called demand management?” he asked.
900 users to continue to receive free service
Cllr Christine McHugh (Lib Dem, Goldington) said Telecare was a “preventative service” in line with the Care Act and warned of a false economy, arguing that reduced take-up could lead to more hospital admissions and longer-term care costs.
She cited long waiting times for occupational therapy visits, in one case up to 112 days, where access to Telecare could be vital.
Cllr Hilde Hendricks (Lib Dems, Riverfield) read a letter from a Riverfield resident who feared being left helpless after a fall, saying the charge would be unaffordable for many and questioning the fairness of charging vulnerable people who don’t qualify for social care support.
In response, portfolio holder for adult services Cllr Robert Rigby (Conservative, Bromham) insisted that the £4 fee was a contribution, not the full cost of the service, and said around 900 of the 2,873 users would continue to receive the service free of charge.
Those withdrawing from the service due to affordability would be contacted and assessed for further support, he said.
Cllr Rigby added that Bedford Borough Council is currently one of only three authorities not charging for Telecare and that without some cost recovery, the projected £448,000 cost for 2025/26 would be “clearly unsustainable.”
He also confirmed that no additional charge would be applied for extra sensors, repeated emergency calls, or multiple users in one household.
Although the decision not to run a fresh consultation was questioned, the council relied on one conducted last year, and concerns about VAT, the committee ultimately voted to uphold the Executive’s original decision.
There will be no referral to full council.
The committee concluded it had “no concerns about the decision” making the proposal to charge a fee for Telecare immediately effective.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
