Rotherham Council approves £148 rise in weekly home care charge cap
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council has approved plans to increase the maximum amount some residents can be charged for care delivered in their own homes.
At a cabinet meeting on December 15, councillors agreed to raise the weekly cap on non-residential care charges by 21%, from £689 to £837, with the changes set to come into force from April 2026.
The increase applies to services such as home care visits, day services and support in supported living. The council says the move is intended to bring charges closer to the actual cost of providing care.
Councillor Joanna Baker-Rogers, cabinet member for adult social care and health told the meeting: “It is important that we maximize the funding available for adult social care through charging for services from people who can afford to contribute.
“Through the consultation process, people strongly supported fairness and equity with many respondents stating that those who can afford to contribute should do so while still safeguarding vulnerable residents.”
Only a small number of people are expected to be affected. Around 25 residents currently reach the existing £689 weekly limit. The council estimates that raising the cap will reduce that number to six, while generating up to £85,000 a year to help ease pressure on adult social care budgets.
Officials have stressed that people on low incomes will continue to be protected through a means-tested financial assessment, and no one will be asked to pay more than they can afford under national rules.
Councillor Chris Read, leader of the council, added: “This is about ensuring that in the face of increasing costs of providing adult social care….that we try to maintain a principle of fairness, whereby the people who can afford to contribute to their care do so, and they do so in a way that is proportionate to people on lower incomes.”
The cabinet also approved the introduction of a one-off £350 administration fee for people who fund their own care but ask the council to arrange it on their behalf. Around 200 self-funders currently use this service, with the change expected to generate around £70,000 when new care packages are set up or significantly altered.
The council says it currently absorbs the cost of arranging care for self-funders, a position it argues is no longer sustainable.
A previously proposed annual administration fee was dropped following strong public opposition.
The new charging policy will take effect from 1 April 2026.