Number of elderly receiving free home care falls by 11 per cent

As well as a drop in free care home packages, the cost of carer services also varied across the country, according to a survey of 120 councils.

While home visits to help the elderly or infirm get up, wash and dress were free in Tower Hamlets in London, the same care cost £21.50 in Brighton and Hove.

The research, seen by the Guardian, showed more than 7,000 people received home care paid for by their local authority, a drop of 11 per cent since 2009.

The average hourly charge has also risen by 10 per cent from £12.29 to £13.61.

Liz Kendall, shadow care and older people minister, said the cost of home care was a "stealth tax on the most vulnerable people in society".

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