Care charges

I am on direct payments with my care completely paid for by the council. I get 5 hours a week, assessed by Soc Services who tried to drop it to 2 hours then finally agreed to the 5 hours.
Last year my husband retired thus dropping our income by 2/3.
Today the Council finance assessor came out, did an assessment and told me that from Monday I will have to pay for 3 hours of that care. Apparently when he was working , my husband's income wasn't counted but now he's retired, it is included.
Now first of all I can't afford to pay. My carer has to have 4 weeks notice yet this woman said my payments will stop as from Monday. How can they do that when there is a contract stating they must give 4 weeks notice?
Also, they included my DLA as income. I thought DLA could not be included in any means tested benefits?
I have no choice but to sack my carer because I simply can't afford to pay her myself.
Just how much more degredation can they force onto disabled people? She refused to include my expenses for laundry or for gardening because I pay cash. I can't use public hotels and such so the only way we can ever get away is in our 12 year old caravan for which I have to pay storage but she wouldn't include that either.

Unfortunately, they can take your DLA into account and indeed other benefits. It's called "Fairer Charging" but in my opinion there is nothing that is fair about it and I have never come across a disabled person who has argued that it is.

When Tax credits tried to take DLA as earnings my MP got involved and I have it in writing from her that DLA can NOT be counted in assessing income for any means tested benefits. It is an extra award designed to pay for the extra expenses involved in being disabled. Is there anywhere where this "Fairer charging" is detailed in writing?

norder wrote:

I am on direct payments with my care completely paid for by the council. I get 5 hours a week, assessed by Soc Services who tried to drop it to 2 hours then finally agreed to the 5 hours.
Last year my husband retired thus dropping our income by 2/3.
Today the Council finance assessor came out, did an assessment and told me that from Monday I will have to pay for 3 hours of that care. Apparently when he was working , my husband's income wasn't counted but now he's retired, it is included.
Now first of all I can't afford to pay. My carer has to have 4 weeks notice yet this woman said my payments will stop as from Monday. How can they do that when there is a contract stating they must give 4 weeks notice?
Also, they included my DLA as income. I thought DLA could not be included in any means tested benefits?
I have no choice but to sack my carer because I simply can't afford to pay her myself.
Just how much more degredation can they force onto disabled people? She refused to include my expenses for laundry or for gardening because I pay cash. I can't use public hotels and such so the only way we can ever get away is in our 12 year old caravan for which I have to pay storage but she wouldn't include that either.

Am I missing something DLA is paid for the extra costs of being disabled ?the carer you need is one of them costs ? Where I would not and they dont include DLA is tax credits

I think I would expect that money given for the extra costs of being sick should be included in this equation if not then hat is dla for ?