THE poorest pensioners in York could be hit the worst by council increases in care charges, according to claims made at a public meeting.

About 90 people crowded into the Friends' Meeting House to give Coun Bob Fletcher their views face to face and many of them were there to call for a reversal of the City of York Council's plan to convert Barstow House old people's home to flats.

The council asked for the meeting with pensioners, organised by York Older People's Forum, to discuss proposed increases to charges including:

* An approximate 10 per cent increase in Home Care charges, according to income* An increase of 10p or 20p in meals-on- wheels* An increase of 20p in day care for adults over 60 and of 10p for adults under 60* An increase in laundry charges of 40p.

Pat McWeeny, a member of the forum, asked the council to think again about the proposed scale for home care charges which would mean that people not on benefit, with £70 weekly income above benefit entitlement, would have to pay £10 an hour, an increase of £2.

"Some of the poorest people in the city are those who have saved all their lives to buy a house and have bills to maintain old properties and are often women on their own.

"In my view you cannot put them in this position."

She said that although the council knew how many people had stopped using its services since the charges were changed last year, they did not know how many people had been put off using it.

"There is a big portion moving over to the private sector. I wonder if there is a secret wish of the council that they move services out to the private sector."

Coun Fletcher said the council was determined to keep up all its services and increase charges, rather than reduce services, in the light of Government grant cut-backs.

But he said he had no problem with people using private sector services if they were cheaper.

David Hughes said the council was on a Mission Impossible and should consider freezing charges. Dennis Pickett said the charges would be rising above the rate of inflation.

The council is due to consider the pensioners' comments at a meeting to decide the charges next Tuesday.

Coun Fletcher also faced the anger of relatives of residents of Barstow House Old People's Home who attended the meeting and called for it to be saved.

He said the vast majority of people questioned in a survey had said they wanted to live independently and said a range of services would be provided at the new flats. York had more residential care homes than the average in other parts of the country.

But many people were concerned about what would happen to their relatives if they could not move back into the new flats.

Maureen Parkin summed up many comments when she said: "The councillor has said people want to stay at home - well the people in Barstow House regard that as their home and that is where they want to be.

"People in the home should be asked what they want."

Coun Fletcher admitted there would be inevitable upheaval when the residents moved out and said all those who needed 24-hour care would have a choice of residential and nursing homes to move to.

He said the council had asked Age Concern to act as advocates for residents who did not have relatives to speak up for them and any moves would be handled safely and sensitively.

* The threat of redundancies among North Yorkshire firefighters appeared to have lifted after members of the county fire authority approved a spending plan to avoid job losses.

But the county's fire authority has voted to scrap its policy of shedding jobs through natural wastage - which could mean redundancies if cash becomes tight in future.

The committee was split over the issue, with eight votes cast both for and against the proposal, until chairman Caroline Seymour used her casting vote to push through the motion.

County treasurer John Moore told fire authority members that redundancies could be avoided now if a £93,000 underspend from last year's budget was put to use.

The authority backed the suggestion, and the service's total budget for next year will now be £17.4 million plus the £93,000 brought forward.

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