SCOTTISH Borders Council has approved a hike in charges for social work services – residential and non-residential – delivered to vulnerable Borderers.

The increases, along with new charges, will come into force on April 1 next year and will bring in extra income of £464,000 a year to the cash-strapped local authority. This is above the annual £400,000 target for extra revenue generation as the council strives to save £27m from revenue spending over the next five years.

At least part of the excess income will be used to fund the extra staff required to collect the cash and assess the financial means of service users.

Flat rate rises will take place across a range of services, including Bordercare Alarm (up from £2.50 to £3 a week) and day care (up from £2 a day to £3). If day transport is required it will be charged at £2 per journey, compared to the current £1 levy, while there will now be a £10 flat charge, plus an annual maintenance charge of £25, for the installation of specialist equipment in the homes of clients. Night support, currently offered free for the first 42 days after hospital discharge, will be charged at £10 a week.

The so-called taper rate – the proportion of a client’s residual income which can be used to contribute to the cost of their care and support – will go up from 43.5% to 55%, thus bringing in extra annual income of £167,250. A report by chief social worker Elaine Torrance said the charges needed to go up “to ensure services remain affordable and sustainable” and to reflect “increased market provider rates”.

Those clients unhappy with their assessments and subsequent demands for payment would, she added, have the right to appeal. She said the new charges were the result of a review process with service users, their families and carers and staff.

“From the feedback received, it was clear that service users and carers valued the services provided and understood the need for charging to protect services. The agreed that equity, fairness and balancing the contributions across care groups was important and that assessing how much someone can afford to pay is fairer than flat rate charges.”