Half of councils axe meals on wheels
But just £1.2bn of aid bill could buy 315m dinners
MEALS on wheels for vulnerable pensioners have been axed by 45 per cent of councils since 2010, figures show.
Others have increased their fees by an average of 20 per cent, leaving many unable to afford the service and contributing to malnourishment across the country.
The revelations come as ministers unveil plans to allow town halls to increase council tax by up to 6 per cent to help pay for social care services.
They will pile pressure on Theresa May to divert the £12billion foreign aid budget to help tackle the elderly care crisis.
The average cost of a meal is now £3.80. One tenth of the foreign aid budget – £1.2billion – would pay for more than 315million hot meals for the elderly.
Chancellor Philip Hammond suggested on Monday that there would be a review of the target of spending 0.7 per cent of national income on foreign aid.
Conservative MP Peter Bone said last night: ‘Meals on wheels is one of the most sensible things that councils do and fund and it is a great shame that they are being stopped or people are being forced to pay out significant sums for them.
‘That ought to be a priority. We cannot spend billions on foreign aid when we don’t know where it is going. We could be using that money to look after our elderly.’
Fellow Tory MP David Nuttall said: ‘Many of my constituents will be concerned that we are spending so much overseas whilst our elderly are facing reductions in service.’
Former pensions minister Baroness Altmann said: ‘We really should be ashamed of our care system, which is cutting back on vital lifelines for frail elderly people.
‘We are creating a Third World care system that serves nobody well. Councils are under constant pressure, the NHS is facing intolerable strains and our elderly citizens are being denied basic decent care.’
Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request show 63 out of 140 councils that responded have got rid of their meals on wheels services.
On average, councils increased prices by 20 per cent, with some more than doubling the cost over five years to £6 a meal.
Between 2010-11 and 2015-16, the number of meals on wheels handed out across the country fell from 6,736,104 a year to 3,460,583.
Diane Jeffrey, of Age UK’s malnu- trition task force, said more than 1million elderly people were malnourished or at risk.
She added: ‘Services such as meals on wheels are a lifeline for many who are finding it too much to shop and cook, helping them to manage at home for longer.
‘This vital service is withering away as local councils face deep cuts to their social care budgets.
‘These worrying new figures mean more older people will be left to cope alone and I fear there is no doubt they will be more vulnerable to illness and more unhappy.’
Herefordshire Council, which supplied 106,830 meals on wheels in 2010/2011, has now axed its service. Gateshead Council in Tyne and Wear provided 58,299 meals but has also ended its service.
Denbighshire County Council in north-east Wales also cut its service, having provided 20,956 meals on wheels five years ago.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: ‘Meals on wheels is so much more than just a hot and healthy meal – it is a vital lifeline for some of the most vulnerable people in our community.
‘Slashing this important service means other agencies like the NHS and social services pick up the pieces later on. This is fuelling Britain’s social care crisis.’
Other councils increased the prices of their meals significantly, leading to a dramatic reduction in numbers using the service.
Shetland council more than doubled its price over the period from £2.85 to £6. The number receiving the meals fell from 42,449 to 18,183.
Brent Council in London pushed up its price from £5.91 to £7, and numbers using its service fell by 82 per cent from 112,959 to 20,077. Redbridge Council in north- east London increased the cost of meals from £3.05 five years ago to £5.55.
Councillor Izzi Seccombe, chairman of the Local Government Association’s community wellbeing board, said the issue should be a ‘national priority’.
She added: ‘The services elderly and vulnerable people rely on, including meals on wheels, are coming under increasing threat due to the under-funding of adult social care.
‘Lack of funding will mean social care in crisis, leaving more of our loved ones facing an uncertain future where they might no longer receive the dignified care they deserve.’