Last week, the Conservatives running Woking Borough Council voted to increase the cost of delivering community meals to elderly, vulnerable and disabled residents by 10%.

The Conservative Executive previously agreed to a 15% rise for community meals, but they forced to reduce the increase to 10% following concerns from Lib Dem Councillors.  The charges for community meals were agreed as part of the overall package of fees and charges for the Council services during last week’s Full Council meeting.

The Council’s community meals service delivers around 1,130 meals a week to local people.  From April, these vulnerable residents will now have to pay £4.84 to have a meal delivered to them, an increase of 10%.

The Lib Dems and I are appalled that Conservative-run Council is hiking the costs of community meals by 10%.  This rise is way above inflation and will be paid by some of Woking’s most vulnerable people.

The community meals service is more than a meal – the staff who deliver the meals are able to monitor their clients to ensure they are safe and well, they are often the only people the clients see that day.  Community meals should be affordable and cost should not be a barrier to vulnerable residents.