Barnet (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Barnet’s Labour-run council faces backlash for imposing a £1,800 annual admin fee on home care, adding to costs for vulnerable residents and families.
The cash-strapped North London council has written to residents who have more than £23,250 in savings and who are receiving privately funded care, stating that the fee covers “administrative” costs.
However, one resident, 78-year-old Penny Burton, called the charge “outrageous,” claiming the council had “manifestly failed” to fulfill the limited role it has in processing care payments to date.
Starting next month, residents of Barnet who arrange private care in their own homes through the local authority will be charged £1,851.
“There’s this cumbersome system where we pay Barnet council, who then pay the agency. All they have to do is forward the charges correctly – yet it’s been a nightmare. It’s always wrong,”
she said.
Since December 2020, Mrs. Burton’s 77-year-old husband, Anthony, has needed care from carers, which they pay for privately but arrange through the council.
In addition to taking care of her husband, she claimed that dealing with the council’s invoicing problems had been “incredibly stressful.”
“It’s very unfair and incredibly stressful. Because of repeated billing errors, they took us off automatic billing – then didn’t bill us at all. Two weeks ago, I got a backdated bill for £15,000.
Residents might look into government-funded initiatives that offer care services at a reduced cost. This could include NHS help or local council funding, depending on the person’s financial status and care requirements.
Numerous nonprofit groups provide funding or advice on how to control the costs of care. These groups may offer grants or put residents in touch with nearby resources to assist defray the cost of care.
It listed charges for every week across two pages of A4 – completely out of order. I had to use three colours of highlighter to sort it. Just as I’d figured it out, the council rang to say the bill was wrong.
Residents may think about less expensive alternative care arrangements including community-based services or shared care. This could entail arranging for friends or family to split up the caring duties.
Mrs Burton added:
“It shouldn’t be up to me to sort this. I wrote to them saying, ‘All you had to do was pass on charges regularly and correctly—and this you have manifestly failed to do’.”
The council had originally intended to charge people £2,000 for these services, but the price was lowered to £1,851 in response to popular objections during a consultation.
Mrs. Burton remarked, “I filled out a consultation and said this was outrageous.” She clarified that the establishment of an annual cost was especially puzzling because Barnet Council had previously imposed a £300 administrative “one-off” fee on residents whose care they organized.
One “valuable” action taken by the local authorities, according to Mrs. Burton, was screening various care agencies before matching residents with a trustworthy care provider.
However, she noted that it was unclear how the council’s provision of this service in December 2020 justified the increased annual cost.
The assistant director of adult social services, Courtney Davis, wrote to the residents to explain that the £1,851 fee was required since the initial £300 charge had not fully covered the council’s expenses.
According to her, the new tariff includes £170 for “billing service users and debt recovery,” £480 for “procurement,” and £511 for “sourcing care components.”
An additional £195 is allocated to “invoice payments,” while £326 is set aside for “quality assurance.”
A public consultation revealed that thirty respondents, or fifty-four percent, disapproved with the additional price, and twelve respondents, or twenty-one percent, disagreed with its exorbitant cost.
Just 7% (4 respondents) did not object; the remaining respondents said it should be lower, or chose “other,” and used the survey as a way to voice their opinions, including grievances about the existing billing system.
Council leaders claim they are caught in a “perfect storm” brought on by rising prices, financial cuts, and rising service demand after the local authority received an “exceptional” £55.7 million government bailout in February.
A Barnet council spokesman said:
“The council has written to residents who have been assessed to pay the full cost of their care and have set out the components of the charges clearly.
We have also provided residents with a comprehensive FAQ, including how to let the council know if they no longer want us to arrange care on their behalf.”
What are the main concerns of the Barnet residents on this fee?
The cost is divided into many parts, such as quality assurance (£326), billing and debt collection (£170), procurement (£480), sourcing care (£511), and invoice payments (£195).
The price has angered many locals, who have pointed to the council’s previous inefficiencies and invoicing mistakes. According to a public survey, 21% of participants thought the additional fee was excessive, and 54% disagreed with it.
Barnet Council contends that because the prior one-time £300 arrangement fee was insufficient, the price is required to pay administrative costs. The council has experienced financial difficulties, including a £55.7 million government bailout recently.