CHARGES for home care have begun across the region this week - hitting sick, elderly and disabled people with means-tested bills of up to £150 per week.

The new £ 10-per-hour charge for the service, which was previously free to all users, has provoked criticism from user groups and Labour opposition leaders, who claim Cumbria County Council is targeting one of the more vulnerable sections of society.

Care users have campaigned against the charges and this week the manager of Kendal-based advice service Disability Action Mark Tennant warned a number of people assessed as needing home care were considering giving it up amid fears about the long-term costs.

Mr Tennant said: "I know of people who are thinking of giving up their care because they are frightened about the cost - frightened of not having the money to pay and frightened of not having money to live on.

"We do not like charges and we feel the decision to introduce charging and the rates of the charges were made without all the relevant information but we want people to be aware that there are ways they can reduce their care bill by offsetting it against disability-related costs."

CCC cabinet spokesman for care and social services Coun John Mallinson said users had "nothing to fear" from the new charging policy, which he said had been introduced to ensure more people could access social care services.

"Although income is taken into account, there are a number of allowances taken from that income before calculating the income left to pay for home care services," said Coun Mallinson.

The authority backed the idea of introducing charges in a bid to raise £2.4m income.

The funds will be ring-fenced and fed back into services which, Coun Mallinson said, would help crack the problem of bed-blocking and cut waiting lists for care.

Until this week, Cumbria was one of only two councils not to charge for home care.

Mr Tennant said: "We do not like charging but looking at it pragmatically we don't see how things could have continued as they were."

Meanwhile, CCC this week scrapped plans to charge for children's home care.

Only 166 of 4,500 care users are children and councillors decided enforcing the scheme would not be cost effective.

The decision is in keeping with new Government guidelines.

l The care charge of £10 per hour is applicable to a maximum of £150 per week.

Everyone who needs more than 15 hours of help per week will receive that extra time free and anyone who is assessed as unable to pay, will continue to receive home care service free of charge.

Anyone who has concerns should contact the Home Care Helpline on 01229-607069 or Disability Action on 0845-1299957 for a fact sheet.