Pensioners in Southend could soon be means tested for services such as transport and day centres - and many elderly residents can expect to pay more as a result.

Council bosses are looking at charging the elderly "what they can afford" rather than a fixed rate or nothing at all for those on low incomes.

Tonight councillors on the town's social services committee are to be updated on a major review of the authority's fees and charges for services such as transport, day centre attendance, and aids and adaptations for the disabled.

The council needs to generate an extra £200,000 in the next financial year - or risk some services being axed.

Full details of the revised charges are to be announced at the end of March. A full consultation of users and carers would then be undertaken.

Southend inherited its current charges from Essex County Council. They are based on a flat rate charge for everyone who can afford to pay, with free services to those on low incomes.

Social services boss Jane Held said the current charging system fails to take into account people's ability to pay.

She has vowed that a new scale would be "properly administered" and "would reflect an individual's ability to contribute to the cost of the services.

"Appropriate assumptions need to be made about what counts as income, and account taken of the inevitable financial demands arising as a result of disability or ill-health."

Considerable work has already been undertaken on revising fees to go towards filling a £1.3 million shortfall in the social services budget.

Ms Held added: "There is clear need to raise income from charges significantly if the borough is to protect as many of its services as possible.

"We are looking widely at all non residential services in order to maximise the potential for charging. The approach taken is that nothing can be ruled out."

She is aware of the consequences of an increase, saying that users may give up using services fearing they cannot afford them. "It should not result in financial hardship if the correct approach is taken and welfare benefits are maximised."

A spokesman for Essex Age Concern said: "We are against means testing because we believe it is demeaning, but I am sure there will be winners and losers in this.

"On the whole we do think services like this for the elderly should be free."

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