HUNDREDS of old and disabled day care patients in Brighton and Hove will have to pay fees for the first time from this summer.

Brighton and Hove Council is hiking charges from a nominal £1 a week to £8.70 a day for people with more than £16,000 savings. And the less well off will be means tested to see how much they can afford. But those who rely solely on income support will qualify for the service free of charge. The changes are being brought in over the next two months as part of a drive to bring day care fees in line with existing ones for home care. Local pensioners' and mental health groups feel they could deter vulnerable people from using a service they need. Help The Aged spokeswoman Kirsty Fyfe said: "£8.70 a day is an incredible amount, and I would say people would definitely be put off going, which means they are losing that social contact." Andy Porter, director of the Brighton and Hove branch of mental health charity MIND, has written to the council stressing his fears about the charges. He said: "I'm concerned that the new policy will deter some people from using the services, both in the mental health sector and for the elderly." But the council's head of adult services, Ian Long, said: "We are trying to make the balance between those who receive home care and day care fairer."

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