Readers' letters
Choosing not to charge Local councils don't have to make a "hard choice" between cutting homecare to disabled people or charging us more, as the Local Government Association suggests (Letters, October 16). Some councils, rightly, are choosing not to charge. And all can demand an increase in the support grant paid to them by central government - thousands of service users, low-paid home helps and unwaged carers would back them if they did. In Camden, north London, charges are now targeted on those of us in greatest need who get more than 21 hours a week homecare. Such disability discrimination goes against Department of Health guidelines and could be illegal. This is compounded by the discretion of social workers, who may be racist and prejudiced in other ways, to determine "entitlement". Councils can assess partners' savings and bank accounts for charges - a recipe for relationship breakdown and violence.
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