Purpose

The Adult Social Care (ASC) Charging Policy Review is a major programme to modernise, align and consolidate Oxfordshire County Council’s charging arrangements across three core areas: Disability Related Expenditure (DRE), Transport Charging, and Telecare Charging. The project brings previously separate policies together into a single, coherent ASC Charging Policy to improve fairness, transparency, sustainability, and financial viability for the Council and service users.

Driven by significant budget pressures and the need to deliver approved Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) savings, the project includes comprehensive data analysis, financial modelling of charging options, and a statutory public consultation covering all three charging elements simultaneously

Key priorities include:

Updating the DRE allowance (modelled at a reduction from 35% to 25%) and understanding the financial and distributional impact on residents.
Designing a fair and administratively deliverable transport charging model, aligned with existing transport policy and system capability.
Bringing telecare charging into the unified policy through consistent interim arrangements

A full public consultation (minimum four weeks) will take place, supported by accessible materials, postal and digital channels, and targeted engagement for vulnerable groups. Consultation feedback will inform the final policy and Equality Impact Assessment (EIA)

Decision

Recommendations approved.