Plans to charge 'vulnerable' adults for bus travel

People with additional needs may soon need to pay for buses that take them to and from community support services.

Under proposals currently out for consultation, adults who use transport arranged by Oxfordshire County Council would need to pay a £10 daily rate to use the service, which was previously free.

The move is part of a series of plans to save the local authority £1.2m each year.

Liberal Democrat, Rebekah Fletcher, the council's cabinet member for adult social care, said the proposals were in response to "real financial pressure" after a reduction in government funding.

Oxfordshire County Council currently has an annual adult social care budget of around £330m, supporting more than 6,800 people.

But following changes to government funding, the local authority is now facing a funding gap of £27.2m by 2028/29.

The recommendations within the consultation have already been included in the 2026/27 budget, amounting to a £500,000 saving during this financial year.

Fletcher said the challenging financial conditions meant the council needed to look at new ways to make savings.

"We've already been through a process where we trimmed the fat. We are now at a point where we need to scrape meat from the bones. That is where we are. That is where the funding is," she said.

As well as charging for council arranged transport, the consultation highlights plans to review the way payments are made for the home independence service, Telecare.

Under the scheme, older people are supported to live at home by being provided with personal alarms and motion sensors which can alert a 24/7 monitoring service, in the event of an emergency.

Some people on benefits received the service for free, with others being charged £6 per week. Under new plans, all of the 3,500 people who use the services would be charged £9.87 each week.

Additional proposals involve reviewing the way people are means tested, to work out how much they should pay for their care.

Under the recommendations, the amount of disability related expenditure not being considered in a financial assessment, would be reduced from 35% to 25%.

The local authority says the proposed changes would bring it in line with other councils.

Councillors have expressed their concerns at the proposals.

At a scrutiny meeting, Jenny Hannaby, a Liberal Democrat who previously held the adult social care cabinet role, described the proposals as affecting "the most vulnerable people", adding it was "one of the worst days I've had as a councillor".

Conservative member, Lee Evans, said the proposals went against the council's adult social care policy, "The Oxfordshire Way", to support people to live well and independently in their own communities.

In relation to Telecare, Evans said, "helping people feel confident about living in their own home and helping people feel they have the technology and assistance to call upon additional support at the moment they most need it, are the essential qualities of the Oxfordshire Way".

"To put financial barriers in a way that people access that care is a rejection of that policy," he added.

The consultation ends on 21st June.