Bristol meals on wheels face 15pc fee hike under city council budget plans

Meals-on-wheels charges could rise by an inflation-busting 15 per cent under “cruel” proposals by Bristol City Council. The authority is also planning to review how adult social care services are provided, including residential care, day services and community meals, which are understood to be under consideration for outsourcing to private companies.

Labour has criticised the proposals, which will be considered by the finance sub-committee on Wednesday, January 15, as part of the annual budget recommendations. Adult social care policy committee vice-chair Cllr Kelvin Blake (Labour, Hillfields) said: “This is one of the cruellest cuts the Greens have put forward.

“Some of Bristol’s poorest elderly residents won’t be able to afford a 15 per cent hike in the costs. This service is a lifeline for many – the Greens need to ensure it remains affordable and accessible.

“Meals on wheels is so much more than a hot meal – it’s someone to talk to and a vital wellbeing visit for some of Bristol’s most vulnerable residents. My mum worked there for 15 years, so I know firsthand how valuable this service is.

“If people can’t afford it, they won’t use it. Residents going without a hot meal and a welfare visit will harm their wellbeing, driving up social care costs for the council in the long-term.

“Outsourcing this service to the private sector runs the risk that prices will go up more, workers will be paid less, and private owners will take a slice of the profit rather than reinvesting it into the service.” A report to the sub-committee said: “The Community Meals service has been heavily subsidised by the council for many years.

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“It provides meals that are prepared, delivered, heated, and plated in people’s homes. However, the cost of running the service has increased due to rising expenses for staff, fuel, and materials.

“The current charges are lower than the actual cost of providing the service. This proposal will increase the charge to help reduce the gap, though the service will still be subsidised.

“The change is expected to save the council £100k, reducing the current £300k subsidy.” It said a proposal to review the authority’s adult social care in-house services was expected to save £1.5million a year by 2029/30.

The report said: “Maintaining these services will require significant investment due to ageing facilities. The council is reviewing the future of its in-house services, with each undergoing a full analysis and public consultation where needed.

“No decisions have been made yet. Staff, service users, carers, and families will be fully involved in the process, with a focus on continuity of care and ensuring their views are central to any proposed changes.”

Other options going before the sub-committee include reducing the frequency of black bin collections, alongside improved recycling collections, saving the council £1million a year. In November, a leaked document obtained by BristolLive revealed the authority is considering cutting black bin days to once every three or even four weeks and recycling collections to “less frequently than weekly” – proposals that are still yet to go out to public consultation.

Cuts of £9million to the housing revenue account (HRA) – ringfenced money to be spent on the council’s housing stock – have also been proposed. The organisation has made huge changes to its priorities for council homes, focusing on clearing a massive backlog of repairs and maintenance following a damning judgement in July by the government’s Regulator of Social Housing.

The judgement highlighted “serious failings” in the standards and management of Bristol’s council homes, thousands of overdue fire safety measures, a repairs backlog to about half of the properties, and issues with asbestos inspections, damp and mould. The sub-committee report said: “The HRA Business Plan has been significantly revised with the priorities of ensuring the health and safety of current occupants of social housing to address the Regulatory Judgment and providing accommodation for those currently experiencing homelessness in the city.”

It said a 30-year financial plan of savings had been developed, including £8million in 2025/26 and a further £1million the following year. The HRA cost-cutting plans in the proposed budget include new service charges to some tenants and leaseholders for communal electrical usage, raising £1.25million a year, and reducing electrical testing “whilst still meeting our statutory requirements”, clawing back £706,000.

Drones would be used to carry out roof surveys to reduce scaffolding costs, saving £346,000, while both garage rents and heating and water service charges would increase by 10 per cent. Announcing the budget-setting process and a raft of potential cuts, which are not formal draft budget proposals at this stage, council leader Cllr Tony Dyer (Green, Southville) said this week: “It will not be an easy budget to set.

“By necessity, this is a transitional budget, recognising the need to instil a greater level of financial sustainability throughout the council, and empowering both elected members and staff to take responsibility for spending decisions.” He said Bristol City Council faced bankruptcy if it could not close a £52million funding gap over the next five years and that difficult decisions had to be made.

Cllr Dyer said: “Wherever possible, we will cut costs whilst getting better outcomes for people. This may sound like a contradiction in terms, but often, as is commonly the case with social care, it is usually far more expensive to help people at the point of crisis or to pay for expensive private sector services, instead of intervening early.

“We will be doing our best to be careful with our finances, to make decisions that support and protect the most vulnerable people, to listen to all views and work together on our services, and to invest in a city which needs a lot of human and environmental resilience to face its challenges and make the most of its opportunities.” Sub-committee members will debate all the suggested options and send their budget recommendations to the strategy and resources policy committee before a final decision by full council next month.