Bexley Council are reviewing their charging policy for adult social care after the local government ombudsman criticised them for overcharging people by as much as 200%.

Opposition councillors have said the council has faced fresh criticism over delays in dealing with the problem after an ombudsman report earlier in the year, and remedying the mistake is expected to cost around £60,000, with compensation for approximately 90 people.

Following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday night (September 1), Bexley Council have now announced they are reviewing their charging policy, launching a 12-week consultation with local people with care and support needs.

The policy was reportedly due to be revised last year, but the work was delayed during the pandemic.

In July, Bexley Council were forced to apologise after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found they had charged people "over the odds" for social care.

The council agreed to a new policy for charging for social care following an investigation from the ombudsman which found the "blanket charge" that had been brought in was in breach of statutory guidance.

 

Cllr Brad Smith, cabinet member for adult services, said they will ensure all changes to charges are applied retrospectively for anyone in the same position as the complainants, currently estimated at around 90 people.

Cllr Smith said: "This is clearly not a situation we wish to find ourselves in.

"Setting charges for such a wide range of people in different circumstances is extremely difficult - however, we acknowledge our error on this occasion.

“We accept the findings of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and will act on their recommendations. We have offered our apologies to the complainants involved in the case."

He added: "As the complainant pointed out, applying a percentage administrative charge against the care fees did not reflect that some elements of administration costs are fixed.

"We will make sure that this doesn’t happen again by making our revised policy clearer for everyone to understand.

"The first stage in creating a revised policy will be the consultation. If you or someone you know falls under our charging policy then please make sure you take part in the consultation when it is launched.”

Bexley Labour said the council had received another report from the ombudsman criticising them for delays in dealing with a compliant, and at the meeting opposition councillors pressed the cabinet for clarification given the uncertainty of residents being overcharged.

Also at Wednesday's meeting, a new model for the borough's children's centres was approved, with services available at venues across Bexley in a cost-cutting strategy.

The results of the adult social care consultation will be reported to the Cabinet before the end of the year, when it will be asked to approve a new charging policy that can be seen to be fair.