A RISE in the cost of attending day centres, meals and transport for elderly and vulnerable adults in Bolton has been given the go-ahead by council chiefs.

Bolton Council’s ruling cabinet rubber-stamped a raft of price hikes as part of wider cost-cutting efforts needed to save it more than £43 million over the next two years.

The daily cost of attending one of the borough’s six day centres will now rise from £10 to £15 from May, up to a maximum of £20 from April next year.

Having a meal delivered at home, to a luncheon club or day centre, and the cost of transport to and from day centres, will also both rise from £3 to £3.50 in May, and £4 next April.

The move is expected to save the council £200,000.

The services are heavily subsidised by the authority, and even though users currently pay £10 to attend a day centre, the cost to the council can be between £30 and £47 a day, while meals cost the authority £6 and transport costs £8.70.

Stockport currently charges £4.50 for meals, Wigan charges £3.85, while Tameside charges £2.56.

Rochdale charges £7.50 to attend a day centre, while Salford charges £44.

The cost of attending a day centre is means tested and those on the lowest incomes will not be affected, but up to 127 people in Bolton are expected to be hit by the increases.

Meal deliveries and transport are not means tested, with 450 people due to be impacted by the meal prices rises, and 400 by the transport rises.

Bolton Council leader Cliff Morris said: “It’s something we don’t really want to do but we do heavily subsidise these services.

“If we didn’t do things like this we’d have to increase council tax further or look at more cuts. We have to be as fair as we can on everyone.”