Residents who receive home care and are eligible for the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG), will no longer receive a discretionary cash uplift from November 2027, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Waltham Forest Council will phase out a discretionary cash boost for people receiving home care, as the council looks to save money where it can.

All people who receive home care and have less than £14,250 in savings are eligible for the Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) to ensure they can afford food, utilities and personal costs.

People aged between 18 and 24 receive a weekly £89, while those between 25 and 64 get £112. Pensioners receive £232 per week.

At its own discretion, Waltham Forest Council gives almost 2,800 eligible residents an extra 25%, averaging between £34 and £58 a week.

But from 3rd November, that will drop to 10% before it is scrapped entirely in November 2027.

The town hall says a phased removal would help mitigate the financial impact on residents.

Councillor Louise Mitchell said at a cabinet meeting today (7th October): “This is a difficult proposal to put forward and a difficult decision I am asking [the cabinet] to make, but we do need to be pragmatic.”

She said that, given the council’s budget pressures and the need for “substantial” cuts, the town hall was “not in a position to continue doing this”.

Waltham Forest is currently projecting it will go over budget by £31.4million this financial year, based on data from June.

Last week, council leader Grace Williams told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the authority needed to make £15m in cuts, and could need to borrow money from Whitehall within 18 months.

Scrapping the discretionary MIG boost may save the council up to £3.7m a year, according to a report published last month.

The cabinet member for adults and health added the change will bring Waltham Forest in line with “many other councils”.

Data shows that just three out of the 32 borough councils in London apply a 25% uplift, while 20 offer no such boost.

The cuts were unanimously approved at today’s (7th October) meeting, after first being proposed in spring.

Around 50% of people receiving home care in the borough will be impacted by the changes, according to the town hall’s own figures. Around 41% may need to start paying more for care, while 11% could begin paying for the first time.

Around 109 residents – both carers and those receiving care – took part in a public consultation over the summer.

Just 11% of respondents agreed with the proposals, while 61% said they “strongly disagreed”. The majority said they expected the cuts to “negatively impact” them.

The change in local policy will not alter the base amount of the minimum income guarantee, which is a statutory requirement by the Department of Health.

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