Disabled and elderly people in York today blasted council plans to hike charges for social care services by up to 60 per cent.

City of York Council has told community organisations that its "very difficult" financial situation means it must either raise more in income for services such as home care, day care and laundry services, or reduce such services.

It has said it would prefer to increase charges, and above-inflation rises are set to be suggested to members of the social services committee early in February.

Possible increases include a 10-15 per cent increase in charges for home care services for 1,400 customers, a 30 per cent rise in charges for domestic support service and an increase of more than 60 per cent for day care for people over 60 - from £1.20 to £2.

But the increases have been attacked as "unacceptable" by members of York Older People's Forum, who said they did not relate to this year's 75 pence increase in pensions.

"These proposals do not make for a happy New Year for elderly people in York," said spokesman David Hughes, adding that, if savings had to be made, they should come in areas other than care for the elderly.

And the recently-formed York Coalition of Disabled People claims that even under the current pricing structure, care services are already beyond the financial means of many disabled people in York.

"Others, who currently do receive services, are likely to find the increase in charges means they have no option but to withdraw from the present level of service provision," said spokeswoman Lynn Jeffries.

"This is an appalling situation. It is wrong that disabled people are faced with charging in order that our basic human needs are met."

But Bob Towner, York's director of community services, said that under current Government policy, provision of such care services - and the charges - were discretionary. And the Disability Living Allowance was intended to help meet such costs.

He said care charges had been frozen last year, and so inflation for the last two years had to be taken into account when looking at the proposed increases.

At the moment, he said, only 22 per cent of the costs of such services were recouped from customers, with the remaining 78 per cent coming from the council taxpayer. If the charges were increased as would be suggested to the committee, the amount raised from customers would increase to 27 per cent, but taxpayers would still be funding 73 per cent of the costs.

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