MULTIPLE sclerosis sufferer Gillian James says she will have to pay 500 per cent more for her home care under proposed increases by a Gwent council.

Former town councillor Mrs James, a widow, has written to the council to object to the proposals, which Monmouthshire council says are in line with National Assembly guidance to provide a new and fairer charging system.

Mrs James, 67, who lives at Pegasus Court, Abergavenny, has also spoken to cabinet members of the council who will consider the proposals next week.

She said: "I get five hours' help a week with personal care such as bathing and cleaning and that costs me £8 a week at the moment. But under the new charges it will cost me £40."

Mrs James said she had been inundated with people contacting her about the charges.

She said: "Many of them have been in tears because they are so worried about the charges. In my opinion it is making the vulnerable even more vulnerable. My phone has not stopped ringing.

"I think the council should also take into account the plight of people living alone, because we have the same basic outgoings such as council tax, as any couple."

She questioned the council's public consultation exercise and said she only learned about one of the public meetings when she rang someone at county hall.

A council spokesman said the authority is trying to make the charging system for social services fairer, and has conducted a county-wide consultation of all users of home care and day services which began at the end of 2003.

He added: "Every service user should have received an explanatory leaflet which invited them to get in touch. It could be down to a clerical error that Mrs James didn't receive one.

"The exercise aims to make sure that service users are charged according to their ability to pay."

The changes, due to be phased in on April 1, are contained within a National Assembly document called Fairer Changes which aims to create a level playing field for home care across Wales.

Monmouthshire county council are due vote on whether to implement home care changes at a cabinet meeting on February 4.