Pensioners are being forced to pay extra for their meals on wheels after county council bosses put the service out to tender.

The Women's Royal Voluntary Service won the contract to provide the meals at Oxford lunch clubs, but it has to charge lunch clubs VAT on the meals.

This has put the price of dinners up by 50p from £1.70 to £2.20 - and some pensioners, who say they cannot afford the increase, are staying away.

Liberal Democrat social services spokesman Janet Godden said: "It is terrible to think that some pensioners have dropped out of certain lunch clubs because of the price increase. These clubs provide a valuable point of contact." Gwynneth Cooke, who runs the Barton Drop-in Club at Barton Neighbourhood Centre said: "They enjoy coming here to meet each other but paying more money could put them off."

Lunch club member Beatrice Bonney, 84, of Wood Farm, added: "I am just about managing but there has been a big increase. We want the county council to help us out."

Lynn Bayliss, area food services manager for WRVS Food Services Ltd in Reading, said the organisation provided meals on wheels for six lunch clubs in the Oxford area.

She added: "Meals on wheels to individuals do not attract VAT but these meals we send out count as takeaways and therefore we are legally bound to charge VAT.

"We regret having to pass the cost on to pensioners but the cost of the meals is subsidised and they are still getting good value."

Story date: Tuesday 16 February

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