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Social care
contributions review begins
CONSULTATION is starting in Liverpool, as an
over a review of contributions for adult social care takes place.
Charges for social care are set locally under national guidelines
issued by the Department of Health. Fairer Contributions is designed
to make sure that no groups are disadvantaged by the policy and it
treats everyone equally. The Council is consulting on
the following proposals:-
► Taking into account individual housing
costs when carrying out a financial assessment, rather than the
current blanket 10% disregard of the net assessable income. We
believe this will more accurately reflect people's financial
position and some people will end up paying less
► Removing the capped contribution of
£222.13 per week on the basis that it disproportionately benefits
people with the highest income
► Introducing a standard flat-rate charge
of £20 per week for services until a financial assessment is
completed, to bring Liverpool in line with other local authorities
where the average charge is twice as high
► Introducing charges for telecare (£2 per
week), medication prompts (£2.50 per prompt) and 1 off services such
as storage or cleaning
► Charging for home care in 15 minute
blocks rather than 30 minutes, so people are charged more accurately
for the time they receive care for 2 proposals are also being
considered for charges to other services such as homecare, community
support and day services.
► The City Council
subsidises services by between 11 and 82%. The options are:-
Increasing ALL charges by 3% OR reducing the amount of subsidy and
increasing charges for those that currently receive a subsidy of
more than 50%
► More than half of the 5,407 who receive
services; 2,935; are not expected to be affected. A further 2,083
people who already make a contribution are likely to be asked to pay
more, and it is thought that 389 people will have to start making a
contribution towards their care for the first time.
Assistant Mayor and Cabinet member for Adult Social Care, Councillor
Roz Gladden, said:- "I completely understand that any changes
to contributions for social care will naturally cause concern, which
is why we are going out to consultation. What we are trying to do is
make sure that our policy is as fair as it possibly can be. Over
half of the people who receive services will not be adversely
affected and some people may even end up paying less due to the way
in which we assess housing costs. It is also important to remember
that the total cost of the service provided is still heavily
subsidised by the Council and payments are only a contribution
towards the cost of care. We want to make sure we give people all
the information that they need and any questions they have which is
why we are holding information sessions across the City."
A series of consultation events are taking place from the end of
January at which people who receive services, their carers and
representatives of other organisations will be able to find out more
and ask questions. They are:-
► Tuesday, 29 January 2013, 2pm to
3.30pm, Reds Suite, Liverpool Football Club.
► Thursday, 31 January 2013, 2pm to
3.30pm, Reds Suite, Liverpool Football Club.
► Friday, 1 February 2013, 11am to
12.30pm, Millennium House, Victoria Street, Liverpool City Centre.
► Tuesday, 5 February 2013, 2pm to
3.30pm, Millennium House, Victoria Street, Liverpool City Centre.
► Tuesday, 5 February 2013, 5.30pm
to 7pm, Millennium House, Victoria Street, Liverpool City Centre.
► Monday, 11 February 2013, 2pm to
3.30pm, LACE Conference Centre, Croxteth Drive, Sefton Park.
► Thursday, 14 February 2013, 1pm to
2.30pm, Bridge Chapel Centre, Heath Road, Allerton.
People wishing to attend should contact the Liverpool Cares team
on:- 0151 233 2819 or 0151 233 4640, or via sending an
email with their name, contact
details and their chosen session. People are available to answer
calls from 9.30am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. Booking is essential
as the capaCity of each venue differs. More information is also
available at:-
liverpool.gov.uk/fairercontributions.
Referendum should be now or never
says
NORTH West MEP, Chris Davies response on 23
January 2013, to the Prime Minister's EU speech reads:- "David
Cameron's Europe speech means 5 years of uncertainty for investors
according to a local Euro-MP. Let's not wait. It should be now or
never for an EU referendum and dragging this out just means that
businesses won't invest in Britain. Here in the North West we need
inward investment to grow our economy and provide jobs and we need
that now, not in 2018. If Cameron really wants a referendum he
should call it immediately, not after so-called renegotiation about
nothing in particular. The Prime Minister raised some valid points
about EU reform, but I work to promote improvements for my
constituents every day as an MEP. Real reform is achieved by working
with our partners, not by making petulant demands. It is achieved by
hard work and reasoned argument, not by preaching from a soapbox.
David Cameron seems to be more interested in managing the
expectations of his own party than he does in fighting for the
national interest of the UK. I don't intend to let this obsession of
the Westminster bubble get in the way of important issues such as
protecting our environment, reforming the Common Fisheries Policy or
providing more employment and economic growth. I am just
going to get on with the job." So do you agree with
Chris Davies MEP? Let us know your views by emailing us to:-
news24@southportreporter.com |
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Carl's sweet
dream comes true with his 'Rolls Royce' of pick and mix
stands
SWEET toothed shoppers will be able to pick
and mix between 200 different types of candy and chocolate thanks to
a new Birkenhead business. Described as the:- 'Rolls Royce of
sweet stands' by owner Carl Thompson, The Chocolate Box, in The
Grange and Pyramids Shopping Centre, has been nine months in the
making and has cost around £50,000 to create. It has also created
two new jobs.
The colourful and brightly-lit stall at the top of the escalators in
the Pyramids features the full range of traditional lines everybody
fondly remembers from their childhood as well as the very latest in
tasty confections. Carl is also proud of the bargain price he
is charging for the range of goodies; just 79p for a hearty 100 gram
bagful. Carl, 52, who is originally from Harrogate in West
Yorkshire, has had a stall on Birkenhead Market for the past 20
years including a sweet stall for the last 6.
But late last year when a spacious stall site became available in
The Grange and Pyramids he decided to snap it up and realise his
sweet dream of opening a pick and mix operation too. He said:-
"Although I have always done very well with the sweet stall I
have on the market, for some time I have also wanted to get into the
shopping centre and open a pick and mix. The Chocolate Box has been
nine months in the planning stage and we opened just in time for
Christmas. Since then, we have been doing very well and the stall is
proving very popular with shoppers in the centre. At the moment we
are offering 200 different lines of sweets. These include all the
traditional favourites, such as sherbert lemons, sweet peanuts, old
fashioned fudge, strawberry bon bons, extra strong mints, sugared
almonds and blackjacks, but we also have all the latest lines like
Haribo, which modern youngsters love."
Derek Millar, Commercial Director for The Grange and Pyramids
Shopping Centre, whose favourite sweet is liquorice said:-
"The Chocolate Box is a colourful, eye catching and different
addition to the shopping centre and we are really pleased to welcome
another new business to the centre. Carl has invested significantly
with us because he was keen to get a presence in the centre.
Everyone loves sweets and I think you would be hard pressed to find
a better range anywhere in Birkenhead. Whatever your favourite is,
it is more than likely Carl will have it."
Carl, whose son Philip lives in Australia and works in the property
market, added:- "The stall, which I spent £40,000 on kitting
out and another £8,000 on stocking up, operates on the American
model with customers making their selection and then bring it to the
till where myself or another member of staff weigh out the bag for
them and charge them for it. The whole process takes only about 15
seconds, so it's very convenient. As they make their selection
customers can use the scales we provide to keep checking out the bag
to make sure they are not getting more than they want. We are also
offering a different way for people to serve themselves because,
instead of having to lift up a plastic flap to get to the sweets, we
have them inside large see-through domes, which customers can just
dig into with a little chrome shovel."
Carl added:- "We have spent a lot of time and money to see
that The Chocolate Box looks very welcoming and attractive. The
colours are vibrant; some would say psychedelic; and there is plenty
of light, so people can see what they are doing. You might say we
have created the Rolls Royce of sweet stands here at The Grange and
Pyramids, where the centre management have also been very helpful
and supportive. For me it's a dream come true because I've always
wanted a place where I could offer a wide variety of lines on a pick
and mix basis. It is my plan to eventually extend the store to 12
metres and that will mean we will be able to offer up to 500 lines
of sweets. When that happens will take on extra staff to cope with
the expansion. I think we have been so well received by customers
here because sweets are quite inexpensive and have a definite feel
good factor to them. You might also say that we are a nation of
'sweet-aholics' as Britain spends an incredible £4 billion on
confectionery every year."
And Carl's own favourite sweet? He said:- "I'd say the ones I
tend to steal are the traditional jellies with a very strong
flavour, or the British version of the American jelly bean, because
I like to be patriotic." |
