AROUND 12,000 Hampshire residents could be asked to pay more for their care under plans by the cash-strapped county council.

Civic chiefs want to save £1.5million by asking some for bigger contributions.

Care chief Liz Fairhurst described the changes as "appropriate and fair" and said they would bring Hampshire into line with other authorities, like Southampton.

But opposition councillors warned against making healthcare decisions to meet government targets, with £98million cuts required at the council by April.

The changes would affect the elderly, disabled and vulnerable adults, such as substance abusers, who receive home or residential care from Hampshire County Council.

The public are being asked for their views in a consultation launched this week. The proposed changes are: • Charging people for the cost of both of their carers if they have newly applied for two to attend a home care visit and are deemed able to afford both.

• Taking into account 100 per cent of a person's disposable income, rather than 95 per cent, when assessing how much someone should pay for their care. The council estimates this will mean higher bills for 4,000 people, with an average rise of £2.22 per week, or £115 a year. Southampton City Council already looks at 100 per cent of its users' disposable income.

• Charging residents in council-run residential and nursing homes for their rooms whilst absent, for example to visit hospital or go on holiday.

• Taking into account income a client receives from letting out their own home when assessing contributions to the council's deferred payment scheme. The scheme currently allows people to use the value of their home to help pay for residential or care costs, deferring sale of the property. This proposal would only affect new applicants for deferred payment.

Currently 44 per cent of people receiving home care pay nothing, with 43 making a partial contribution and 13 per cent funding their support in full.

Hampshire's adult services department has to find savings of £43.1million by April, nearly half the council's overall target.

Cllr David Harrison, Lib Dem spokesman on adult social care, said: "It is possible that some charges will act as a disincentive for people to get the care they need."

Ukip spokesman Martin Lyon said: "We would not want to see healthcare decisions being made purely on the basis of government targets – this will only drive standards down and increase the risks to service users, even more so as the local authority entrusts the market to deliver healthcare."

Cllr Fairhurst said: "The county council's funding from central government has roughly halved in recent years, and with ongoing reductions, the county council is having to make some very difficult decisions about the services we provide and the way we do business."

The public consultation closes on Friday, August 26.

Find the details proposals and a questionnaire at hants.gov.uk/pfc-consultation.