Eddisbury MP & Shadow Health Minister Stephen O’Brien, is warning of Government plans to leave householders in both the Cheshire West & Chester Council and Cheshire East Council areas with a massive additional bill to pay for Labour’s proposed social care plans.
Analysis has revealed that Gordon Brown’s unfunded plans for free personal care at home could add £26 a year on the average council tax bill in our area, on top of other local pressures. This is due to an estimated £580 million black hole left by the Government.
· Senior Councillors at both the Cheshire West & Chester Council and Cheshire East Council have warned in writing that Gordon Brown’s plans “are unclear, unfunded and are likely to have a significant impact on existing local services, including the real possibility of cuts, as well as, increases in local council tax bills”.
· Town hall experts at the Local Government Association have added that “this is clearly a new burden” on councils, while Social Services Directors from across the country have asserted that Gordon Brown has “significantly underestimated the true costs involved.”
· On top of the council tax hike, there is also the threat of an additional “death tax” of up to £20,000 by Labour to pay for their proposed National Care Service.
Shadow Health Minister Stephen O’Brien said: “We all want to give the elderly the support they need in their old age, especially the most vulnerable in our communities such as those with dementia. That is why Conservatives will introduce a non compulsory Home Protection Scheme to allow people – for a one off £8,000 payment – to make sure they never have to sell their home to pay for residential care.
“But Labour’s plans to extend free personal care and to introduce a National Care Service are in absolute chaos. Ministers in Whitehall are considering introducing a new compulsory death tax of up to £20,000 on every person in England, as well as an extra £26 a year on council tax bills for householders in the Cheshire West & Chester and Cheshire East Council areas. Gordon Brown needs to come clean and explain who will pay the price for his plans.”
16th February 2010 | 
