On the 5th of December 2024 Sutton Councillors, ignoring the strength of feeling against its reprehensible proposals to take more from their most vulnerable citizens, voted to bring in their planned charging-model anyway.

The charging, hitting disabled people and their carers the hardest, was voted through by a majority vote from the Lib-Dem run council; remember this when the next local-elections come around.

 This came as no great surprise to those who took the time and trouble to contribute to the consultation process, only to find their views in no way represented in the bland document produced at the end of it.

This petition, will however continue, as we intend to mount a legal challenge. In the interim, as it has exceeded the 1500 signatories required for a full council debate, I have submitted a request to bring the petition to their next meeting (27/01/25).

 Please do keep signing and please comment also (below) It really helps to hear from supporters.

Sutton will now proceed with targeting the £35.90 a week enhanced ‘allowance’ awarded to those with the greatest support-needs. Worse still, those affected will be subject to ever more personal and intimate scrutiny. 

Adding insult to injury, the Disability Related Expenses (DREs) we were repeatedly assured could be claimed for (in order to 'justify' keeping some of our disability income) are largely precluded on Sutton’s latest Financial Assessment forms. These exclusions include: anything also used by 'average' families ie: fuel bills, TV services, internet and groceries, over the counter medicines and ointments (unless accompanied by formal verification of necessity from a doctor). Incontinence aids can only be claimed for if provided via the NHS;  not only excluding those bought privately but also increasing the burden on our beleaguered NHS. 

These pre-printed hurdles do at least clarify the conundrum of how Sutton could prematurely list projected-income from their new charging remit when they hadn't yet had sight of our DREs.

The council have also deemed to let us keep 'for our funerals' (just) £3000 of any savings we may have put by. YES, a representative of the council did actually say this at the meeting!

Given those with a terminal diagnosis are one of the classifications of persons entitled to claim the enhanced rate, Sutton, it seems, is now the council who will persue its residents through disablement, terminal illness, right through to funeral arrangements!

There's more to this charging approach than exerting financial pressures. The intimidating tone of the documentation is also troubling, with tacit warnings of losing long-standing/complex support packages and/or funding if not returned with all requisite receipts, medical evidence, billing breakdowns and bank/mortgage statements etc (within 14 days). 

These measures are likely to affect more and more people, as others councils will and have already adopted this habit of targeting the most vulnerable. Please help stop the insidious spread by raising awareness and sharing this petition as widely as possible. 

Thank you.

 

For those just catching up on this petition, please see below, a previous outline of the proposals:

Sutton plans to charge those in receipt of the higher rate Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Attendance Allowance (AA) and/or Enhanced rate of Personal Independent Payments (PIP) more by bringing the £35.90 (night care allowance) included in their higher rate benefits into the remit of their means testing (thus taking it from them).  Those affected will then have to pay an extra £35.90 a week (£143.60 per month/£1,785 a year) for care services.

Under this charging framework, those who receive more than one disability-benefit will then be doubly charged (£287.20 a month/£3,446.40 a year) and many carers do carry disabilities of their own. This is not mentioned in the consultation literature or presentation slides.

These changes will not affect those on the standard rate, or those who already pay for night-time carers. Those who require assistive technology and/or appointeeship services will also now pay the full cost of these. Some, affected by all three proposals, will be triply charged.

Nice work Sutton, proposing to charge the most vulnerable the most!

To single out those on enhanced benefits, means the most disabled and vulnerable, along with their carers will be the ones hit by this proposal. The perverse logic appears to be, since those who care for their loved one 24/7 do not have night-time carers, they should not be allowed to keep this £35.90 'allowance'. Assessing the mathematics of this 'logic' boils this down to £5.12 a night, or 42 pence an hour. How much night-care would this get you? None-I checked! 

Given that age and disability are protected characteristics under the Equalities Act 2010, to disadvantage them in this way represents a breach of the legislation; carers being directly associated with those they care for are also protected under the act. 

On top of the removal of the winter fuel allowance for many, this really feels like a kick in the gut for carers, since it clearly indicates the care we give (both day or night) LITERALLY does not count. If this charging structure is bought in, carers will have to try and find the extra money or give up their care services; increasing the liklihood of carer breakdown and increased demand for residential care. This will cost the council far more.

If, like me, you feel this is morally and legally wrong, please sign this petition and share the link as widely as you can, either by scanning the QR code below or going to change.org and searching for petition: 

'Stop Sutton council increasing charges for those with greater disabilities.'

Please take a few minutes to comment, if you want to, I will then include these comments when I formally forward/present the petition's final count to the council.

Thank you.