A NEW system that will leave Bolton’s social care recipients facing increased costs is expected to be approved next week.

Under plans revealed last year, town hall bosses intend to remove a £300 per week cap on the amount people contribute to their own non-residential care — as part of cuts that would save the council £550,000.

If agreed at a cabinet meeting on Monday, the revised policy for charging will be implemented from April 1 this year.

Council estimates suggest that almost 1,100 of the 1,519 people expected to be affected by the new system will face an increase of less than £5 per week.

However, for people with high care costs and high levels of disposable income, the increase could be as much as £300.

A total of 677 people responded to a council consultation on the plans, around 40 per cent of whom said the proposal would have a ‘considerable impact’ on them.

A report being sent to the cabinet next week states that respondents were worried that they would have less to spend on necessities such as food, heating and repairs.

The acting leader of Bolton Council, Cllr Linda Thomas, said: “We have for many years been able to subsidise the non-residential care we provide for our residents and we were reluctant to change this.

“However, the Care Act has had an influence on the way we calculate people’s care packages and we have to make savings within the department due to budget cuts direct from the government. I’d like to thank everyone who took part in the consultation and we really have listened to people’s concerns.

“We understand that this could mean a major change for some people but we will have colleagues available to discuss the details of their case should they be worried. We remain committed to protecting the most vulnerable in society.”

Under the new proposals, the council would also change the way it calculates how much a person has to contribute towards the cost of their care.

Rather than only taking account of 95 per cent of a person’s disposable income in its calculations, the council would base its figures on 100 per cent — as seven other Greater Manchester authorities currently do.

Taking into account feedback from the consultation, the council plans to write to every resident affected, explaining how their contribution will be calculated.

Drop-in advice sessions and a helpline could also be set up to support people affected by the changes.