Have your say on proposed changes to adult social care costs

If you use adult social care services, proposed changes by North Tyneside Council could change what you pay for care.

The Council is reviewing the way it works out how much people need to pay for adult social care. A public consultation on the proposed changes is open until January 7.  No changes will come into effect until the Council makes its decision early in 2026 and this consultation feeds into the decision-making process.

The Council proposals include:

1. Changing the way disability costs are calculated and discounted from costs

When the Council works out how much you pay for care at home, it currently automatically takes £10 off your weekly costs. This means you pay £10 less each week. The idea is that this £10 helps with extra costs linked to a disability, like special food, equipment or extra heating. Instead of giving everyone the same £10 discount, the Council plans to look at your actual extra costs and adjust what you pay based on that. Some people might get more than £10 off, and some might get less.

2. Reducing the thresholds for the amount of money you must have left after paying for care

The Government sets out a minimum income guarantee that sets out how much people should have left after they have paid for their care. North Tyneside Council currently uses this threshold and gives you an additional 5% in their calculations. The Council is consulting on a proposal to remove the additional 5% from this calculation and use the Government’s minimum income guarantee. This means you could be left with 5% less money after you have paid for your care.

The Council has provided a table to illustrate how it could impact on different households as its complicated. Examples include:

• A single person of pensionable age could have £11.63 less left at the end of each week.
• A working age adult could have £8.11 less left at the end of each week.
• A couple of pensionable age could have £17.76 less left at the end of each week.

You can take part in the consultation here: The review of Adult Social Care charges | Our North Tyneside Voice.