Shropshire Council plans to start charging for telecare services
Shropshire Council is planning to charge some of the 2,000 residents who rely on technology like personal alarms and fall detectors for the service.Most other councils, including Telford and Wrekin, already charge a fee for telecare.If approved, residents considered able to pay would be charged about £3.50 a week, which the Liberal Democrat-run administration said would generate almost £250,000 a year.The council's cabinet will meet on 11 June to discuss the proposal to start charging from 1 October.
A report drawn up for the meeting said the introduction of the charges would "help to secure future service provision and enable ongoing investment in new technologies".
Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Reform UK councils in ‘shambles' as newly elected councillors fail to show up
Reform UK gained control of nine councils and minority control in three more in May's local elections, but opposition councillors claim the party's organisation and productivity have been a "shambles" since. Across the 12 Reform -controlled councils, 33 meetings have been cancelled or postponed in the first nine weeks since the election, and at least 21 Reform councillors have missed their first meetings. In Kent, nine out of 22 scheduled meetings have been cancelled since the election, including legally required meetings like the governance and audit committee. An opposition councillor in Kent, Rich Lehmann, said the cancellations were "shocking" and questioned Reform 's ability to lead the council, while Sam Smith, leader of the Conservatives in Nottinghamshire, called the start "shambolic." Reform UK councillors have reportedly cancelled meetings to reschedule them when more prepared, while Nottinghamshire Council's new Reform leader Mick Barton dismissed the criticisms as "political rhetoric from the opposition."
Sky News
12 minutes ago
- Sky News
Three alleged Iranian spies appear at Old Bailey
Three Iranian nationals charged with spying offences have appeared in court. Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday, charged with offences under the National Security Act. They are alleged to have targeted journalists working for Iran International, an independent media organisation based in London. They are all charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist the Iranian foreign intelligence service between 14 August 2024 and 16 February 2025. They arrived in the UK between 2016 and 2022 by irregular means, including by small boats and a lorry, and appeared in court via video link. They spoke through a Farsi translator to confirm their identities. Sepahvand, of St John's Wood, is also charged with engaging in surveillance, reconnaissance and open-source research, with the intention of committing serious violence against a person in the UK. Manesh, of Brent, and Noori, of Ealing, are additionally charged with surveillance and reconnaissance, with the intention that serious violence would be committed by others against a person in the UK. The plea hearing for the three men will take place on 26 September, and a provisional trial date has been set for 5 October 2026, according to Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb. The UK government summoned Iran's ambassador after the men were arrested on 3 May, saying Iran "must be held accountable for its actions". The men were arrested on the same day as five other Iranian nationals, who were taken into custody as part of an entirely separate investigation. Four of those men remain in custody and were arrested on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. A fifth, a 24-year-old man in the Manchester area, was released on bail. Last October, MI5 director general Ken McCallum said the UK intelligence agency had responded to 20 "potentially lethal" Iran-backed plots since 2022, warning of the risk of an "increase or broadening of Iranian state aggression in the UK".
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
Bird flu confirmed in wild gull in Whitehaven
A herring gull found dead has tested positive for bird flu, the Animal and Plant Health Agency has confirmed. The bird was found in Whitehaven and the agency said it was aware of a number of other wild bird deaths in the area. Whitehaven Harbour Commissioners said a number of positive cases of avian influenza had also been reported in the Whitehaven Harbour area. A spokesman said that people should not "panic" but refrain from touching or picking up dead or sick birds and report any discoveries online. Earlier in the year bird flu was found in Burnopfield, Lazonby in Cumbria and in dead swans found in a park in Chester-le-Street. Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
