Colin D Gordon

“If I’d known how old I was going to be, I’d have taken better care of myself”. So the Hungarian “film mogul”, Adolph Zukor, once famously remarked. In reality, as the founder of Paramount Pictures, he had the economic means to ensure that he was well looked after in his later years and indeed survived until the age of 103.

Thousands of old people in the UK are, however, in a far less fortunate position – despite the boast by Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne in his budget speech to Parliament on 18^th March, that “the sun is shining again on Britain”. As the Guardian columnist, Simon Jenkins, pointed out the following day,”local government services, including for the elderly and the infirm, have been butchered”. Furthermore, as a result of austerity “Many vunerable people have been hurt”.

So who exactly takes care of them? Not, it seems, the local authorities, not any more, due to drastic cuts in government funding. Research conducted by the charity “Age UK” in October 2014 suggested that there are 1.6 million pensioners in Britain living below the poverty line and  “a startling 900,000 in severe poverty”.

A report issued by the Labour Party in January revealed that 109,000 people had “meals on wheels” delivered to them in 2014/15 compared to 296,000 in 2009/10 – a decline of around 63%. It also quoted the opposition spokesman for care and elderly people, Liz Kendall, as emphasizing that “Having a decent meal and contact with someone at least once a day is a lifeline for many elderly people”. Councillor Izzi Seccombe of the “Local Government Association” (LGA) asserted that Councils are trying to protect the elderly from the impact of cuts but that “there is simply not enough money in the system to provide the level and quality of care that people deserve”.

In the opinion of Neel Radia, Chairman of the “National Association of Care Catering” (NACC), the Community Meals Service enables older people to live in their own homes for longer, helps maintain their physical and emotional well-being and thereby reduces pressure on the NHS (National Health Service). Abolishing the service is thus “incredibly short-sighted”.

But that’s precisely what’s happening in many parts of the UK – or the cost of the meals is being increased. The Stoke-On-Trent City Council is planning to “decommission its Meals on Wheels service as from April to save £80,000 per year. The people who use it will have to make alternative arrangements”. Caerphilly Council in Wales intend to do likewise “as part of its bid to save £6.5m for the 2015/16 financial year”. In Northern Ireland (according to BBC News), the South Eastern Health Trust has taken a “cost-effective decision” to deliver frozen meals every two weeks, instead of an everyday service, although “carers will still visit those who need help to heat or eat meals”.

There are exceptions to this trend: The “Shropshire Star” has reported that volunteers belonging to “Mencap” (the learning disability charity) “have agreed to take on the delivery of hot meals in Llanfyllin (Wales), which were due to finish as part of budget cuts by Powys County Council”. In January, Hammersmith & Fulham Council announced that it would “reduce the prices of meals on wheels by a third to help the elderly stay healthy by enjoying good quality food”. This would be achieved by “cutting the number of senior managers and the costs of office space, cancelling the Council’s public relations (PR) expenditure and negotiating more effectively with suppliers and property developers”.

The current charges for “Meals On Wheels” vary widely across the UK. In Bury, Lincolnshire, it’s “£4.65 a day for the hot main meal and dessert, £2.88 a day for the snack tea-time service and £3.50p for a frozen meal.” In Trafford, Manchester: £3.50 a day for the hot main meal and dessert. In Sutton, deliveries are between 11am -2pm, at a cost of £3.70 for a hot meal and dessert; In Lewisham, £3.50 for a hot meal or £3.15 for a frozen meal consisting of a main meal and dessert.

Wandsworth Council has started to offer money instead to those of its residents who receive meals on wheels, which they can “use to pay the cost of having fresh food and produce delivered to their front door by supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco”. Wandsworth does, though, “provide microwave ovens to people who choose to receive frozen meals and this could also be extended to those who previously received pre-cooked meals, if they meet financial eligibility rules”. It also notes that “A single pre-cooked meal delivery costs a total of £8.82. Although the Council subsidizes part of this, the remaining £4.75 must be met by the user themselves”.

The “Royal Voluntary Service” describes itself as “the original Meals On Wheels provider. They deliver “two million meals a year to people who have difficulty with shopping, carrying food home or cooking for themselves”. Their menu choices “cover cultural as well as dietary needs and include special requirements like soft foods or diabetic meals.”

There are two main commercial organizations in this sector: “Apetito”, which has “service centres all over the country” and charges £6.25 a day for a hot meal and dessert and “ICare”, which charges between £5.30 and £4.10, depending on the area.

ICare, however, have apparently clashed occasionally with their drivers, who use their own cars to deliver meals. In one instance (publicized by the Daily Mirror), they attempted to “slash wages as well as holiday and sick payments” – prompting one of their employees to remark that the “Bosses don’t care about the service, it’s about making money”.

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