Concerns as millions overpaid to care accounts

A mother said she was "horrified" after discovering a council overpaid millions of pounds to accounts used to pay for care services.

Sam Matthews, who lives in Crowborough, was contacted by East Sussex County Council about additional funds in a direct payment account used to pay for care services for her son.

A Freedom of Information request by the BBC has revealed that the authority had claimed back £6.5m from these accounts in less than two years.

The council says the money is part of its community care budget so there is no loss or gain for the authority.

In East Sussex, direct payment accounts are managed by a third party company, with contributions paid in by the council and families.

The money can then be used for home carers or other support services.

After being contacted by the authority, Ms Matthews found an unusual £7,000 payment had been made into the fund.

The account is used to pay for home carers to help look after her 25-year-old son, Charlie, who has autism.

A Freedom of Information request showed that the council had claimed back £6,690,701.62 after contacting 885 families.

The request detailed that this was part of a "backlog programme" which began in August 2023, with two to four full-time staff working on it.

Ms Matthews said: "It doesn't give you any faith that they know what they're doing with their money.

"We put our trust in the council that they are looking after the public purse as they should, but this raises serious questions."

A council spokesperson said: "When residents choose direct payments to manage their care, it's important that they have sufficient money available to pay monthly bills and enough to cover any emergency expenses.

"To give people peace of mind, we transfer approximately six weeks' worth of payments into their direct payment account.

"Balances can build up as a result, and when it reaches a certain threshold – usually about 10 to 12 weeks' worth, we will take back the surplus."

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