LA Financial Assessment for home care and 'Standard General Expense Figure'

[Marnie63]

Each April mum receives a letter from the LA which is part funding her home care - this confirms how much she needs to contribute weekly towards her care. As part of the calculations they list her weekly income vs weekly allowances. Under weekly allowances they quote a 'standard general expense figure', which I assume is a figure set by someone somewhere, covering a general weekly 'cost of living'. But this figure, I noticed, has not changed (ie gone up!) from the time she started receiving care (end of 2015). Presumably the someone somewhere doesn't think food, utilities, etc. ever increase in cost?! I doubt this is an error, but as I need to query something else with them, I will query this when I write. Seems a bit unfair, as any increase in Pension immediately gets taken away in contribution towards care, there's never any 'offset' as that 'general expense figure' never changes!

I just wondered if anyone else receiving funding for home care for someone has noticed this 'general expense figure' changing or not. I don't know if the figure applies countrywide, or differs from LA to LA.

 

[Beate]

That figure wouldn't be £189 by any chance? I think that's the figure everyone over a certain age needs to be left with and can't be touched. It's usually called the Minimum Income Guarantee though.

 

[Marnie63]

You're right Beate, it is £189! I did a search after I posted and found another LA in the UK quoting it as the minimum amount the Government says anyone over 60 should have to live on - then it clicked that this is the minimum income guarantee set by the Government. Still unfair that they haven't changed it for nearly 3 years though!