Plans to increase charges for home care services including washing, dressing and preparing meals have been branded “balancing the budget on the backs of the disabled” by Kingston Council’s former disability equality and access officer.

Jane Young told the council’s executive committee on Wednesday, September 29 the proposals to remove subsidies for home care, due to take effect next April, would leave disabled people with less choice on how to spend their money than able bodied people.

The council last week launched a three month consultation on the plans, which include removing the cap on weekly charges, charging some people 100 per cent of their disposable income, and making people with savings above £23,250 pay the full cost of their care.

It said it needed to increase charges because of government funding cuts, and to bring home care charges in line with residential care, but said it would protect people on low incomes.

Ms Young said: “I want to start with the premise that charging is a tax on disability, if you consider we are being charged to do the most basic things in living such as going to the toilet and washing.

“There are several things I noticed in the paper with horror, but the overall impression is that it is written with the needs of older people in mind and not younger people.

“Consider a young service user who is unable to work but wants to buy a house.

"Once they get to £23,000 in their savings they would not be able to save any more because if they have any dependency needs they will have to pay the full cost of their care.

“I think you are in danger of removing aspiration from a lot of young people.”

Councillor Derek Osbourne, leader of the council, admitted some members of the executive had not appreciated the distinction between older and younger disabled people, and promised to consider Ms Young’s points.

Former Conservative councillor and campaigner for the elderly Mary Clark criticised the council for equating home care with residential care, because the latter was a 24-hour service, and called on the council to hold more public meetings on the issue.

Simon Pearce, head of community care services, said the introduction of personal budgets for individual service users would allow them to buy services from other providers, including neighbours, and find options cheaper than the council.

Public consultation meetings will take place at Hollyfield House, 22 Hollyfield Road, Surbiton at 2pm on Tuesday, October 19 and 11am on Tuesday, November 30, and a questionnaire will be sent out.

The consultation closes on Friday, December 31.