Essex: Meals on wheels - 365 days a year

The changes, which will be phased in up to April 2002, will mean hot meals seven days a week for more than 2,000 elderly and infirm residents which will be delivered by uniformed staff.

The threatened cuts in the service, which included providing only frozen meals fortnightly, were rejected by councillors at a meeting of Essex County Council's health and social services executive board yesterday (Wednesday).

The aim now will be to provide a consistent service across Essex - at the moment residents in some areas receive meals twice a week while others get them every day.

Pensioners in Basildon, Castle Point, Rayleigh and Rochford will receive hot food every day of the week and, at least for the time being, will still only pay £1.60 a day for the service.

Southend and Thurrock are not be affected by the changes because they run their own social services departments. Basildon's Labour MP Angela Smith - who campaigned in the House of Commons for the service to be maintained - said she was delighted.

She said: "I welcome anything that protects the services for our elderly and infirm residents although I would want to see the fine print first although.

"If this means getting rid of the plans to dish out meals once a week that can only be good news."

The campaign to save meals on wheels was launched again last summer when the council began its scrutiny of the service under the Government's Best Value legislation.

Among the options considered was the provision of frozen meals once every two weeks - a plan which caused a massive outcry.

At the time the Evening Echo revived its own campaign to save the service just 18 months after it had succeeded in defeating similar proposals.

During the consultation in October, Echo editor Martin McNeill went before the select committee to press for the service to be retained.

He said: "The county council should be congratulated for paying attention to public opinion, as expressed through the Echo."

Castle Point's Pensioners' Rights Campaign secretary Alan Mumford said today: "This is a welcome verdict but it should not have been necessary for pensioners to have to fight against this in the first place.

"The very idea it could have been taken away should not even have been considered."

Basildon Council leader John Potter said: "I am very happy the county council has at least seen sense.

"It seems they have recognised the need to bring the quality of service up to standard."

Executive board chairman Elizabeth Dines (Con, Maldon) said, despite the extension, they had achieved "streamlined savings" in the service.

The deliveries are the responsibility of the district and borough councils but the extension to the scheme, at a cost of £293,000, will be covered by the county.

District and borough councils will be given the chance to tender for distribution and Nottinghamshire County Council - on whose own service the changes are based - will also be asked to tender for supplying meals to Essex.

Fact file

Essex County Council takes responsibility for meals on wheels but district and borough councils organise distribution, often through the WRVS.

About 800,000 meals a year are delivered to more than 2,000 elderly and infirm people across the county.

People pay £1.60 a meal, which arrives at lunchtime and the county council foots a £1.565 million bill each year for providing the meals. The shake-up in the service comes two years after the council campaigned for a £6 price hike in home care charges with means testing. Anyone with savings would be forced to pay more.

The authority also wanted to increase charges from £1.35 to £2.35 a day but an Echo campaign saw the plans dropped.

In December 1998 the news that frozen meals on wheels could soon replace hot ones, hit the headlines. The plan was thrown out following our campaign but was revived.

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