What if I cannot afford the charges?

You should tell the local authority if you feel you can’t afford the amount they are charging you – you can tell the person who did the assessment with you and ask them to review it. The local authority must not charge you more than you can afford. Local authorities should use local discretionary powers to abate or waive charges on a case-by-case basis to avoid hardship. You could complete a budget sheet to show that you can’t afford the charges.