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Search forCharges provoke angry response
Thursday, November 20, 2008, 08:00
Elsie Short, 69, from Willenhall is the sole carer of her sister Jackie, 58, who has Down's syndrome.
Jackie gets £17 a week mobility allowance, and the new charge will cost them £16 – virtually wiping out the allowance.
She said: "People have had such a shock this year with their bills increasing. My gas bill has gone up from £48 a month to £77.
"My main concern is that Jackie doesn't like change. She is used to the way things are. I don't want to start upsetting her routine.
"I rely on the respite I get when she is out at college. She might be an adult, but in many respects she is still a child. "She can't fight for herself, so I am fighting for her."
Somerfield Road resident Eileen Witton has a 48-year-old daughter who suffers from phenylketonuria (PKU).
Mrs Witton said: "We already pay £40 a week for her to go to the Adult Training Centre – now we've got this on top.
"£60 a week is a lot for pensioners and when I received the letter informing us about the charges, I couldn't believe it. After Christmas we may not be able to take her there any more."
The charge will stop Willenhall resident Florence Webster, 64, from sending her son Ian, who suffers from severe learning difficulties, to the Willenhall Day Centre.
She said: "From December 1 I just won't be able to afford for him to get there any more.
"He goes five days a week and that is another £20 a week and with me being nearly 65, I no longer get a carer's allowance. It's so bad what they have done."
Sandra Muckley from Bentley fears the new charges will cut the number of times her paralysed husband James, 65, can visit his care centre in Pinfold Street, Bloxwich.
She said: "It will cost us £100 a month with the fees at the centre as well – it is just too much for us."
Jeanette Phillips' 93-year old mother relies on the transport service to take her to Streets Corner Day Care Centre in Walsall Wood.
She said: "My mother goes to the centre three times a week but there are some people who go five times a week. The centre is crucial for her and there are people there who are over 100. The new charge has upset a lot of people."
■ Are you affected by the new charges? Call our news team on 019222 721111 or email walsall.editorial@cintamworth.co.uk
Patricia Rolston, 53 and her 33-year-old daughter Lyndsey Ball, aired their concerns over the new charges last week. TL121108-009WA
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