Council defends "unfair" laundry service price hike

As part of wide-ranging plans to save £9m in the current financial year, the council has raised a series of fees and charges to boost income and restructure how it delivers services to the vulnerable and elderly.
It increased the amount it charged per laundry load by 30p last year as part of its annual budget, but has increased it by £3.10 this year, to £7.40 per load.
A disabled elderly Newbury woman, who asked not to be named, questioned why council tax had been frozen but the council had increased charges for the elderly, by hundreds of pounds each year in some cases.
She said: “This means someone who sends one load a week, plus two loads when they have sheets, pays a total of £268 per year, going up to £472. The laundry service is such a good help. It doesn't come back ironed, only washed.
“They have also stopped the tokens for the elderly, which were used to pay for taxis to hospital appointment, dentist and opticians. They say we can have bus passes but these are no-good for those of us who can’t get on a bus.”
The council has also scrapped its free hot meals contract for the district’s most vulnerable residents to save £92,000.
An employee at the Thatcham depot of contractor Apertito contacted the Newbury Weekly News, concerned that the move could have damaging consequences for the elderly.
She said: “In some cases we are the first people the elderly people see. In 90 per cent of cases they live alone and we are the first point of contact. Sometimes our drives have found people ill or dead in their homes. We are concerned about a lot of the residents we deliver to.”
A spokesman for West Berkshire Council, Keith Ulyatt, said that the need to make savings was well publicised.
He said: “Since adult social care represents 30 per cent of West Berkshire Council’s spending it cannot remain immune from savings and it is inevitable that some subsidies will have to be reduced.
"What we have done is ensure that those care services that most directly impact on people’s health and wellbeing are maintained.
"Although the fees for the laundry service have had to increase, they are still heavily subsidised and it would probably cost people considerably more if they had to go direct to commercial suppliers.”