Many local families have been hugely anxious about plans from East Renfrewshire Council and the Health and Social Care Partnership to introduce charging for non-residential care services in financial year 2025/26.
The council’s Cabinet Committee convened in February to consider recommendations for the introduction of a £20 per hour charge for non-residential care support but subject to the ability to pay and with an implementation date of July.
The recommendations were approved by the Cabinet.
Over recent months, I have received a very large volume of communications from the loved ones of vulnerable people who may be impacted by the charging should it take effect.
There is no doubt that the intent to charge for non-residential care services has caused a great deal of distress.
I am completely cognisant of the incredibly difficult financial challenges facing East Renfrewshire Council and the Health and Social Care Partnership because of the ongoing derisory annual funding settlements from the Scottish Government.
However, the personal testimonies of how detrimental the charging could be for vulnerable residents and with local people who have complex needs potentially losing a large portion of their income, I am very much against the implementation of the policy.
Consequently, I wrote to all Councillors in East Renfrewshire to set out my view that the decision on charging was too important to be made by a small number of elected members on the Cabinet Committee.
I requested that the decision be brought to full council and suggested the budget setting meeting as a possibility for putting the proposals to all members.
In my letter to Councillors, I also made clear my firm opposition to the policy and called on elected members to reject the charging plans.
The charging proposals were subsequently referred to the budget setting meeting on 26th February and I was relieved to learn the plans had been binned for 2025/26.
This would not have been achieved without the tireless efforts of local families and it is a victory for all of my constituents in Eastwood who spoke up against the charges.
At the full council, East Renfrewshire Conservative Councillors wanted to go even further than the initial proposal that was put to the meeting and also take the charging plans off the table for 2026/27 but this stronger motion was rejected by Labour and the SNP.
The failure of Labour and the SNP to match the Conservative commitment to also rule out the introduction of the charging in 2026/27 means that the door has been left wide open for the policy to be implemented next year.
From the communications that have been issued by the local authority, it is clear that the full council decision is only representative of a nine-month delay to the implementation of the policy and the aim of the Administration is to introduce the charging in April 2026.
A similar campaigning effort from families will likely be needed to again defeat the charging proposals next year and I will be continuing to stand with my constituents in opposing the council’s plans.
