West Lancs politicians at loggerheads over National Care Service proposals

Nov 26 2009 by Michael Byrne, Ormskirk Advertiser

A WAR of words has broken between two of West Lancashire’s leading politicians over disability benefits for the elderly.

Adrian Owens, Conservative General Election candidate, has claimed the small print of Labour’s plans to create a National Care Service reveals that they will scrap Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance for pensioners, to pay for it.

Cllr Owens claimed that in West Lancashire, this would affect 4,690 pensioners – 2,660 who receive Attendance Allowance, worth an average of £60 a week, and 2,030 who receive Disability Living Allowance, worth an average of £75 a week.

West Lancs MP Rosie Cooper accused Cllr Owens of ‘irresponsible scaremongering’ and said it was irresponsible to claim that the Government are funding any aspect of their care reform proposals by cutting people's benefits.

The Government has put forward the idea of a national care service to give people one port of call for people trying to find a care home for themselves or a relative.

Cllr Owens said: “Gordon Brown has chosen to penalise one of the most vulnerable groups in our society for the sake of another of his eye-catching announcements. As with every Labour initiative, someone has to pay and, as with many of them, it is once again those who are least able to afford it who are hit by Brown.

“Of course, we need to do more to help people with their care costs, but it is completely wrong to do so at the expense of disabled pensioners.”

Ms Cooper said: “The Tories have already tried this irresponsible scaremongering in Parliament and have been proven wrong. They are deliberately trying to confuse some of our community's most vulnerable people.

“He has also said that those receiving Attendance Allowance and those over 65 receiving DLA would continue to receive an equivalent level of support and protection.”