RESIDENTS are being asked to share their views on plans to charge an admin fee to adults who fully-fund their own care.

Under the proposals adults who pay for all of their care will be charged a set-up fee if they ask East Sussex County Council to arrange care and support on their behalf and an ongoing administration fee to cover the council’s costs.

There will be no charge for adults who receive financial support for their care.

There are currently 2,300 fully-funding adults in the county who have asked East Sussex County Council to arrange care on their behalf and who will be affected by these proposals.

Feedback to the consultation, which runs for 11 weeks and closes on Monday, July 21, will be considered by the council’s lead member for adult social care and health when he makes a final decision in the autumn.

There is currently no charge for fully-funding adults who request that the council arrange their care on their behalf, and the council covers the cost of providing the service.

Most local authorities have introduced these charges in line with powers under the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support Statutory Guidance.

Under the proposals East Sussex County Council would recover costs by asking anyone who covers the full cost of their care to pay;

• A one-off set-up fee of £118 for arranging new packages of care and support for fully-funding adults
• An administrative fee of £11 per invoice to cover ongoing internal costs

The proposed fees have been calculated to match the costs incurred by East Sussex County Council for providing the service and are below the national average for comparable charges used by other local authorities.

More information about the proposed charges and how to take part in the consultation can be found at www.eastsussex.gov.uk/admincharges

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