Over the next two years, Waltham Forest Council will cut and then abolish its discretionary boost to home care residents receiving the minimum income guarantee, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Waltham Forest Council is set to cut extra help for people receiving home care as financial pressures worsen.

Over the next two years, the council will reduce a discretionary boost for residents receiving the minimum income guarantee (MIG).

The weekly packet ensures people receiving home care and with savings below £14,250 can afford food, utilities and personal costs.

People aged between 18 and 24 receive £89, while those between 25 and 64 get £112. Pensioners receive £232 per week. Of its own volition, Waltham Forest Council metes out an extra 25% for its residents, between £34 and £58.

However, as the council looks to save money where it can, it will reduce the uplift to just 10% from 3rd November.

The following November, it will be scrapped entirely.

Cutting the uplift to zero could save the town hall up to £3.7million a year, according to a recently published report.

Waltham Forest is currently slated to go over budget by £31.4m by next March, based on spending figures from June.

Council leader Grace Williams said earlier this month the financial situation was “not getting better” and there were “no magic solutions”. Having warned of “tough decisions” since last summer, she said the “actions we take now are going to be vital”.

About half of the near-2,800 people receiving the MIG are “unlikely” to see a change to their income, the council says. Around 41% may need to start paying more for care, while 11% could begin paying for the first time.

The cuts were first proposed in May, when the council launched a consultation for affected residents.

A total of 109 people filled out the questionnaires, including both people receiving care and carers.

Just 11% of respondents agreed with the proposals, while 61% said they “strongly disagreed”.

The majority said they expected a “negative impact” and 53% said they would prefer to keep the uplift in place.

Councillor Louise Mitchell, the cabinet member for adult social care, previously said the council “needed to think carefully about whether we can continue to work with this”.

A decision will be made on the new scheme will be made at a cabinet meeting in early October.

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