08 October 2014
Scotland Against the Care Tax (SACT) Petition
Quarriers Position Statement
October 2014
Background:
The campaign groupScotland Against the Care Tax(SACT) has launched a public petitionwhich calls on the Scottish Government to abolish all local authority charges for non-residential care services.
At present, local authorities in Scotland charge for a range of non-residential social care services. This can significantly reduce the incomes of older and disabled people preventing them from enjoying their right to independent living and to participate in the workplace and in their local communities. SACT has drawn attention to disparities exist in the amount charged for non-residential care services across Scotland. Each council operates its own plan and hourly rates bear little resemblance to the actual cost of home care in a particular area. The Audit Commission reported in 2013 that charges for a single hour of Home Care varied between £8.56 and £23.70 in different areas. Additionally, Scottish Government statistics indicate that over the last three years, care charges across Scotland have increased by 12 per cent on average. There is no upper limit on what councils can charge for care. This means some disabled people are charged 100% of their disposable income for the care they are entitled to.
Quarriers has signed the SACT petition along with 28 other organisations representingdisabled people, people living with long-term conditions, older people and carers. We support the removal of social care charges which would enable people who need access to services e.g. support for getting up and going to bed, eating and drinking, and seeing family and friends to enjoy these basic rights without being financially penalized for the privilege.
Quarrier’s position:
- A human rights issue
Social Care is essential for many of the people Quarriers supportsto participatefully in society and enjoy their human rights. Without it, many could not access independent living and would be denied freedom, choice, dignity and control at home, at work, and in the community. We recognise that social care is essential for a fair and equal society that respects, protects and fulfils the rights of all citizens. Care charging goes against these principles. It demands that those who are entitled to use non-residential care services pay more to achieve the same basic human rights as those who don’t use services. Itcan lead to people going without essential care and support and putting themselves at risk of harm or further deterioration of an illness or condition because they cannot afford it. Quarriers, therefore, supports the view that social care chargingignores social care as an equality and human rights issue and as such believes the current approach fails to value the equality or human rights of disabled and older people .
- An unfair tax
The current system also fails to pay adequate consideration to the significant poverty experienced by many who use non-residential care services. Community care charges contribute only 3% (= approx. £42.6m) of the cost of social care in Scotland but these charges have a huge impact on the lives of disabled and older people/people for whom this 3% can account for up to 100% of their (disposable – i.e. after housing costs) income. Given that47.5% of households that include a disabled person live in povertyand only 50% of disabled people of working age are in work, charges disproportionately impact on some of the poorest and most vulnerable in society.
Quarriers, further believes that the variations in the amount chargedby different local authorities is unjust. There is a need to address this inequity and the effectit, and recent tightening of charging and eligibility criteria, has on people’s ability to live well. While some argue that Local Authorities rely on care charges to offset the cost of providing social care services this argument is not applied to the financing of other services that are crucial to the rights of citizens e.g. the NHS, schools and cycle lanes etc. which are paid for by everyone in society, but used by only some. Quarriersdoes not see why older and disabled people should be continue to be expected to contribute to the cost of providing services in such a disproportionate, confusing and unfair way.
Lorne Berkley
Policy Manager
Phone: 01505 616047
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