Kent County Council has been accused of acting like Scrooge over plans to change the charging rules for those who receive social care in their own homes.

Social services chiefs have outlined steps to save money through changes to its charging policy for those who receive care in their own homes - just a week after it learned it was to get an extra £26 million this year from the government for social care.

The changes include a plan to charge an unspecified arrangement fee for those who pay for their care because they have assets of more than £23,250 but ask KCC to arrange that care.

Up until now, the council has made no charge.

Another proposal would involve changing the rules on the way the council treats the savings and assets of those who receive care, where the value of these is between £14,250 and £23,250.

At the moment, KCC makes a charge of £1 per week for every £500 between these amounts but will change that to £1 for every £250, saving the authority £300,000 a year.

Social services chiefs say the move would bring the council in line with other authorities.

But Conservative county councillor Alan Marsh launched an attack on the proposals, saying people would not understand why they faced increased charges when the government had announced a £2 billion cash injection for care - of which the council would get £26m more this year.

“The savings expected is less than £300,000 in a full year when we are to get [an extra] £26m this year from the government.

“People will see it as Scrooge-like - a shortcut to making a few pounds out of the customer.

“In both cases, it is unnecessary, a small amount of money and we do not need it,” he told a meeting of KCC’s social care cabinet committee.

But Cllr Graham Gibbens, the cabinet member for adult care, said the county council was facing severe pressures in adult care as it strived to cope with rising numbers of elderly people needing care.

“There are really severe issues facing social care in parts of Kent and it is really important we get the extra money to support sustainable care.

“I am sympathetic but some of the decisions we have had to take on the care budget have been very challenging.”

Fellow Conservative councillor Penny Cole also backed the changes, saying: “It is a small amount of money but every penny helps.”

Cllr Marsh failed to persuade fellow committee members to reject the plans in a vote.