The Conservatives at Essex County Council have announced a shocking 52 per cent increase to its cost for meals on wheels, from £2.10 to £3.50. This will be the third price increase in a year. Last April, just before the county elections, meals were put up by just 5p. Since the elections there have been two big increases.

Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes, Liberal Democrats group leader on Essex County Council, said:

"The Conservatives make much of their ability to manage demand made on frontline services and balancing budgets. However, this is a classic example of managing demand by pricing people out of the market. Nearly 60 per cent of the old and disabled people who received meal on wheels would not be prepared to pay more than £3 for a meal - and that is the finding from the council's own research carried out only last year.

Over half of the recipients of meals at home are over 75 years of age and have only a fixed income that cannot easily accommodate such a dramatic hike for meals. If old and disabled people are to keep their independence by staying in their own homes, this will become difficult when faced with increasingly higher care bills."

Liberal Democrats propose to address some of the financial shortcomings of the county's social services in an amendment to the budget to be discussed at a meeting of the full council on 14 February 2006.