Cuts mean social care charges in district will rise by up to £120 a month

Barnsley Council blamed reductions in its budget from Westminster for the decision, which will see the maximum weekly charge for adult social care services rise from £60 a week to £90.

The authority said it had “reluctantly taken the decision to increase the level of contributions that people are asked to make” but said it would not affect people on benefits.

A spokesman said: “Some people will have to pay more for their services, but protection will continue to be given to those with the lowest incomes.

“At present about one in five people don’t pay anything towards the cost of their services because they cannot afford to do so, this will not change.

“Many others will not be required to pay any more under the new policy because they are already contributing the maximum they can afford.”

The council said individual financial assessments had been made under a new policy under which people with social care needs would be given a “personal budget” to spend on services.

How much they have to pay towards this budget will be dependent on their financial means, with those with more cash asked to contribute more of their own money for care.

The spokesman added: “The council is facing a very difficult financial challenge over the next few years. Our current charges do not reflect the full cost of our services.

“Charges are currently lower that all other local authorities in the region and almost every authority in the country – many of whom charge full cost for all services.”

The authority said it had consulted people who used services and said changes would be “phased in” over the next four years.

It added that it would be writing to those affected to inform them of how much extra they would be expected to pay.