Plans to increase the cost of meals-on-wheels will "hit the poorest pensioners" and price some people out of the service, says a leading pensioners' activist.

The cost of the service in Essex will increase from £1.80 a day to £2 in February. For an elderly person who gets meals every day, this would cost an extra £73 a year, an 11 per cent increase.

Bob Sears, secretary of the Basildon Forum for the Elderly, said: "I am very angry - it is totally wrong.

"You find that it's the poorest pensioners who go for meals-on-wheels, they are often the really needy. So once again it is hitting the poorest pensioner.

"People will suffer. There will be people who cannot afford the extra money. They will try to find alternate means and may have a sandwich instead of a proper meal.

"I think the people running the council are unsympathetic to the pensioners. I would like them to look at this more realistically in relation to the pensions people receive."

The cost will also apply to people eating at county council day care centres - but not district council luncheon clubs.

The service was run by Basildon Council on behalf of the county until April this year, when a new five-year contract was awarded to Apetito, for the supply of the meals, and the WRVS, for the delivery and management of the service.

Basildon residents were already able to get a 365-day-a-year service, but other areas were not, so the new contract was designed to improve the service in the other areas.

Phil Rackley, deputy leader of the Basildon Council Labour group, said: "It is quite a hefty hike and I wonder how they can justify such an increase."

An Essex County Council spokesman said: "Following the start of the new meals-on-wheels contract from April 1, 2002, the decision was made to defer an increase in the cost to the service user until the service had bedded down, mobilised effectively and demonstrated an improved quality in service delivery."

Published Thursday, January 2, 2003

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