A plan to replace the daily delivery of meals on wheels to elderly villagers with a weekly frozen meal service has been met with a cool response.
The scrutiny board at Wrexham County Borough Council has recommended that residents no longer receive meals on wheels because of increasing costs.
The move will now be considered by an executive board in July. However, it has sparked concern about the effect it will have on people in Penley, Hanmer, Bronington and Bettisfield.
A report to the board stated that the council was under no legal obligation to provide the service, although they had a duty to ensure people received help with meals.
The meals on wheels service supplies 325 meals each week to 64 people, although it stopped receiving referrals in 2005. Instead they offer alternative support such as a luncheon club and frozen meals.
The meals are provided by various care homes and hospitals including Penley Hospital which produces 44 meals per week. WCBC has calculated that they spend £92,396.72 per year on staff and mileage. The committee chose to recommend the council transfer the remaining 64 recipients of a hot meal service to alternative provisions.
The proposal states: “This option will release approximately 72 home care hours each week to be used for the development of other services.”
Julie Powell, from Bronington Community Council, said: “That’ll make a huge difference to the elderly. I know a lot of people who say how nice it is to have a visit every day even if it’s fleeting.”
She added that a lot of elderly people in the village did not own a freezer and those who were less active would struggle to use a microwave.
A spokesman from Help the Aged said the frozen meals system had been introduced by other local authorities around Wales as a way to provide the service for more elderly people.
He added the policy also counteracted the problem of older people keeping meals to eat later which they failed to reheat properly resulting in food poisoning.
A spokesperson from Penley Hospital said the hospital would be unaffected by the cancellation.
l What do you think of the plan? Write in with your views to: The Editor, North Shropshire Chronicle, Chronicle House, Castle Foregate, Shrewsbury, SY1 2DN, or email jbutterworth worth@northshropshire chronicle.co.uk or ring reporter Emma Kasprzak on 01743 283324.
