Client wins care charge challenge

A man with learning difficulties who was taken to court by a local
authority for not paying his care charges won the case in a
landmark ruling last week.

Bradford County Court ruled that the council’s social services
department had been wrong to charge Steven Matthews £9.50 a
week for using its day centre services. It found the council had
mistakenly considered Matthews’ family’s income during an appeals
hearing that calculated what he would have to pay.

Learning difficulties charity Mencap, which supported the
challenge, hailed the ruling as a “moral victory”.

The council’s director of social services, Alison O’Sullivan, said
the appeals process would be reviewed and Matthews contacted.