Alarm users must now pay £3.40 a week
Thousands of North Lanarkshire residents who rely on community alarms in their homes will soon have to pay for the service.
From September 14, service users will be charged £3.40 a week for the lifeline.
Until now North Lanarkshire was one of only two local authorities in the country still to provide the service for free.
The community alarm service assists vulnerable people and those over the age of 75 who need extra support to stay in their own homes.
It affords them with the security that they can call for assistance in an emergency, such as a fall or an illness, at any time of the day or night.
The charge, was agreed by the council as part of its budget for 2020/21.
Its implementation had been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A charge was previously implemented in 2016 but scrapped following an outcry.
The introduction of charges has been criticised by Conservative Party members in North Lanarkshire who were against the move.
Motherwell South East and Ravenscraig councillor Nathan Wilson said: “North Lanarkshire Conservatives were the only political group on the council to present budget proposals that rejected the imposition of a community alarm charge and we are firmly of the view that the service should remain free.
“The information presented to elected members as part of the budget setting process in the early part of this year highlighted that a £3.40 charge could result in 15 per cent of service users handing their alarms back to the council.
“According to this modelling, the number of people with a community alarm in North Lanarkshire is expected to fall dramatically by well over 1000 service users.
“We do not think the risk should be taken that such a significant number of vulnerable and elderly people in the council area could remove themselves from this potentially life-saving service.”
“North Lanarkshire Conservatives welcomed the council’s decision to delay the implementation of the policy in the months after the coronavirus emerged but we also want the community alarm charge scrapped altogether.”
Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire (HSCNL) administers the service and insist that the long-term future has been safeguarded by the introduction of the charge.
Chief officer Ross McGuffie, said: “The community alarms are a vital service for many North Lanarkshire residents and this small weekly charge safeguards the future of the service.
“A key part is the full assessment for everybody who might require an alarm. We can arrange for someone to check that their income is fully maximised and they’re receiving everything they should be.
“Our service is available 24 hoursa-day, 365 days each year and receives around 400,000 calls each year.
“Since the introduction of the service in 1999, there has been a rise in users, year on year, from around 2,000 to the current number of more than 9,000 – an increase of almost 500 per cent.
“Demand for this service will only become greater due to an ageing population and we must be in a position to meet this demand and protect the service.
“As a result, this increased funding will play a vital role in maintaining the service.
“Like all public services across Scotland we are facing cost pressures and demand for the service is increasing year on year due to an ageing population.
“It is essential that we are in a position to meet this demand while protecting this important service.
“The reality is that if we continue with no charge, it’s to the detriment of this service and others.”