ADULT SERVICES CHARGING POLICY FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL SERVICES APRIL 2005/06

Transcription

1 ADULT SERVICES CHARGING POLICY FOR NON-RESIDENTIAL SERVICES APRIL 2005/06

2 CONTENTS Page No. 1. Introduction 2 2. Aims & Objectives of the Charging Policy 2 3. Legislation 2 4. Non-residential Services for which Charges are made 3 5. Exemption from Assessment Charges 3 6. Guarantee Payment Form 3 7. Welfare Benefits Check 4 8. Role of Visiting Officer 4 9. The Financial Assessment Process Fees and Charges Calculation of Charges Direct Payments Health Funding Independent Living Fund Review and Appeals Procedure Recovery Action How to Pay Equal Opportunities Appendices: Appendix A Guarantee Payment Form 11 Appendix B Fees & charges Appendix C Disability related expenditure

3 EALING COUNCIL CHARGING POLICY FOR ADULTS NON-RESIDENTIAIL CARE SERVICES 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Council's have the discretion to charge for non-residential care services. Central Government expects a proportion of the costs of social care for adults to be born by charges 1.2 This policy explains what non-residential care services Ealing Council charges for, how services users are assessed for charges and the framework for collection of charges 2. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE CHARGING POLICY 2.1 The aim of this policy is to: ensure that charges for services are made in a fair and equitable way to those service users able to pay ensure that your assessment of ability to pay is easily understandable ensure that we operate procedures and have working practices which are efficient and effective for assessing your ability to pay charges and for us to recoup income provide clear criteria against which you can be assessed and charged in a consistent manner, which meets the Council s policy on equality and diversity issues. ensure that if you need services that you are encouraged to use them rather than being debarred because of your financial resources. ensure that there is an efficient and well understood appeals procedure, which allows charges to be waived in exceptional cases. achieve a measure of income that can be used to meet the costs of the services provided to you in whole or in part. 3. LEGISLATION 3.1 Section 17 of the Health and Social Services and Social Security Adjudications Act 1983 (HASSASSA Act 1983) gives councils a discretionary power to charge adult recipients of nonresidential services. The council may recover such charges as are reasonable in respect of relevant services 3.2 Section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 allows the Secretary of State to issue guidance to councils on the exercise of their social services functions, including those which are exercised under discretionary powers. In exercising those functions, councils must have regard to guidance issued under section 7. In 2003 The Department of Health issued Guidance entitled 'Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential Social Services. This policy is based on that Guidance. 3.3 Local authorities may charge for services provided directly to carers under the provisions of the Carers and Disabled Childrens Act 2000 however at the present time Ealing Council does not charge for this service. 2

4 4. NON-RESIDENTIAL SERVICES FOR WHICH CHARGES ARE MADE 4.1 All needs assessed services will form part of a regular pre-planned package of care. This charging policy covers all cases where you have your needs assessed by Ealing Council and where nonresidential services are provided or purchased by the Council to meet your needs, irrespective of where that service is purchased or provided from. 4.2 A package of care provided to you whilst living in the community may include a variety of services, some of which are included in the financial assessment and some of which are exempt. 4.3 Charges are made for the following non-residential services: Personal care Domestic Care Live in Care Sleep over Waking night Residential Respite Care Recipients of Direct Payments in respect of the above services will be liable to a charge Meals - there is a flat rate charge for meals whether at home or in day care, this charge will not involve an assessment of ability to pay since the charge substitutes ordinary living expenses 4.4 Residential Respite Care: When you receive a non-residential care package that includes respite care for the first 8 weeks you will continue to be charged the same weekly rate as your nonresidential package. For respite care of 8 weeks or more you will be assessed using the Charging for Residential Accommodation Guidelines (CRAG). 4.5 Charges are not made for the following services: Day Care Transport to/from Day Care Equipment and minor adaptations 5. EXEMPTION FROM ASSESSMENT AND CHARGES 5.1 There will be no charge in the following circumstances however you may still need to go through the financial assessment process in order to identify if you are exempt from charges. you receive income equivalent to or below the basic level of Income Support or the Guarantee Credit of Pension Credit plus 25% you are suffering from Creuzfeldt Jacob disease (CJD) you are receiving after care services under Section 117 of the Mental Health Act 1983 you will not pay for the first 6 weeks of intermediate care if you need a package of care provided by the Social Re-ablement Service. This would be arranged by your Care Manager to assist you to regain the ability to care for yourself and avoid an unnecessarily prolonged hospital stay or admission to residential care. you will not be charged for any advice or assessment, occupational therapy and welfare benefit checks and advice. 6. GUARANTEE PAYMENT FORM 6.1 If another person is managing your finances on your behalf they will be invited to sign a guarantee to meet your assessed charges. The guarantee is an agreement between the Council and the person who manages your affairs. It is shown in Appendix A. Whether or not the form is signed the Council can take enforcement action in relation to any charges owed for services. 3

5 7. WELFARE BENEFITS CHECK 7.1 As part of the financial assessment we will check on your entitlement to benefits so that you can claim and receive all the benefits you are entitled to. The welfare benefits team will help you to make any claims for benefits, which may arise. 8. ROLE OF A VISITING OFFICER 8.1 From April 2006 it is intended to create the role of a Visiting Officer. A visiting officer will assist in the completion of a Financial Circumstances Form, the maximising of welfare benefits under Fairer Charging and completion of the Guarantee of payment form. 9. THE FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT PROCESS 9.1 You will need to be financially assessed to determine how much you should pay towards the cost of your care and unless you ask otherwise your financial assessment will be based on your financial circumstances only. 9.2 However, if you live with your partner or spouse, we are able to calculate a charge based on joint financial circumstances, if you prefer. In all cases this is to ensure that an assessed charge for you would not reduce you and your partner below the basic allowance plus 25% buffer. 9.3 The assessment of charges will be based on your 'net disposable income'. This is calculated by assessing your income and capital, deducting the basic allowance which is Income Support or the Guarantee Credit of Pension credit plus a 25% buffer, other standard allowances and any applicable disability related expenditure. 9.4 The 25% buffer of the 'basic allowance' provides an additional safeguard in order to prevent your independence being undermined by the charges for services. The 25 % buffer is added on to your Income Support allowance and premium according to age, level of disability, and family status or the appropriate Guarantee Credit of Pension Credit. Current Income Support Rates 2005/06 rates Single Adult ( years old) Single Adult (25 to 59 years old) Pensioner, single (65 years and over) Pensioner, couple Disabled couple Your assessed charge will be 100% of your net disposable income or 100% of the cost of your care whichever is the lower. 9.6 The minimum charge is 5.00 per week is effective from 1 October You will be required to pay for the full cost of services you receive if you have capital or savings over a set limit. The Council assesses capital and savings in accordance with the annual Guidance issued by the Department of Health on Charging for Residential Accommodation (CRAG). This Guidance sets a maximum limit currently of 20,500. 4

6 9.8 If you do not wish to disclose your financial details, you can sign a declaration form choosing to pay full cost for the services you receive. 9.9 Your assessed charge will be reviewed if your care package changes. This is to ensure that any changes in service and charges do not reduce your income below the minimum income level i.e. the basic allowance 9.10 You will also be asked to provide updated financial information so we can review your assessed charge on a regular basis If your circumstances or income change you can request for a review of your assessed charge If you do not receive a financial circumstances form and charging brochure from your care manager prior to or at your care management assessment then you may request one from the Financial Assessment Income Team on Tel or request a form by from : homecarecharging@ealing.gov.uk. The Financial Assessment Team will be able to help you complete the form 10. FEES AND CHARGES 10.1 Appendix B shows the Council s standard charges and level of assessed contributions. The standard charge is the actual cost of providing the service and the assessed charge is your contribution towards the cost of the service. 11. CALCULATION OF CHARGES Stages in the Financial Assessment: 11.1 Stage 1: Users Chargeable Income: Following the completion of the financial assessment form the council will assess your financial circumstances to determine how much money you have available to pay towards the cost of your care each week. This is known as your weekly net disposable income. The calculation used to determine your net disposable income is: Income* - Expenditure - Allowances = Net Disposable Income (*including tariff income from Capital) Income this is money received by the user. The following list is intended as a guide and is not exhaustive. Pension credit: guarantee Pensions paid by an employer Income Support Job seekers allowance Incapacity benefit Severe disablement allowance Exceptionally Severe Disablement allowance Attendance allowance } limited to lower rate only taken into account* Disability living allowance care component } limited to middle rate only taken into account* Industrial injuries disablement benefit Disability working allowance Carer s allowance Widow s benefit Bereavement allowance War disability pension (less 10 disregarded) 5

7 *unless night care is provided as part of the care package from Ealing Council, in which case, the limit is removed. Tariff income raised from Capital and Savings will also be assessed as described on the next section. We ignore certain types of income when calculating the users charges. These are: 100% of all earnings Reduced earnings allowance 100% of Disability Living Allowance (Mobility Component) 100% of Working Tax Credit 100% of Child Tax Credit 10 per week of War Disability & War Widows Pension 100% of War Widows Special and Supplementary Payments War Pensioner s mobility supplement - deemed equivalent to Disability Living Allowance mobility component) 100% of Gallantry Awards Pension credit (Savings) Invalid Care Allowance All earned income and income comparable with earned income, e.g. Statutory Sick pay, Statutory Maternity Pay is ignored, to ensure that if you or your carer iwish to enter and progress in work that you are able to do so. Capital Examples of capital taken into account are shown in the following list, the list is intended as a guide and is not exhaustive (refer to Charging for Residential Accommodation Guidelines Section 6.002) Buildings * Land * National savings certificates and Ulster Savings Certificates Premium bonds Stocks and shares Capital held by the court of protection or a Receiver appointed by that court Any savings held in: Building society accounts Bank current accounts, deposit accounts or special investment accounts, including savings held in the National Savings Bank, Giro bank and Trustee Savings bank SAYE schemes Unit Trusts Co-operative share accounts Cash Trust funds * The value of your home will normally not be taken into account in the financial assessment where you continue to occupy the dwelling as your home. The value of your home will be taken into account as capital where you no longer occupy the dwelling as your home. Where you no longer occupy a dwelling as your home the value should only be disregarded if a partner/lone parent/relative lives there (relative as defined in Charging for Residential Accommodation guidelines (CRAG) paragraph 7. If, you and your partner have joint capital, only half will be considered to be yours. 6

8 2005/06 capital limits upper limit 20,500 lower limit 12,500 Capital below 12,500 is disregarded and you will be required to pay the lower amount of either the actual cost of the services you receive or your weekly assessed charge. For capital levels over 20,500 you will be required to pay the maximum cost of the services you receive. Tariff Income For capital between 12,500 and 20,500 tariff income is calculated as equivalent to 1 a week for every 250 (or part of 250) above the 12,500 and this is treated as income.. Deductions i. Basic Allowance This allowance represents the basic levels of Income Support or the Guarantee Credit of Pension credit plus a 25% buffer that is money considered essential by the Government for your basic day to day living requirements. In addition to the basic allowance the following allowances over and above the basic allowance' are made: ii. Household Expenses Mortgage payments/rent Council Tax - Allow full amount less any Housing Benefit paid - Allow full amount less any Council Tax Benefit paid iii. From Ocotber 2005, there will no longer be an allowance for Users: Water rates Insurance Loans including Hire Purchase and catalogues Pets Normal fuel bills, TV licences, etc. iv. Disability Related Expenditure Expenses resulting from your disability or infirmity might include chiropody, special dietary costs, private personal care, etc. and each individual will have different circumstances and consequently different expenditure items. More guidance on Disability Related Expenditure is provided in Appendix C. v. Carer (s) An allowance of 40 per week is made to cover the cost of additional expenses of any carer living in the same property as the service user. This allowance is higher than the dependant s allowance in recognition of the care input by the carer and the fact that their employment opportunities are quite possibly affected by their role as a carer. In some cases, it is possible that the carer may also be a dependant; in these cases only one of the two allowances are applicable i.e. the higher carer allowance. vi. Other An allowance for the actual weekly costs of the following: Maintenance payments under court orders Child Support Agency payments Payments towards Private pension 7

9 11.2 Stage 2: The cost of services you receive: The council looks at what services you receive from Social Services and how often you receive the service each week. With this information we can calculate how much it costs Social Services to provide you with this service. The calculation used to determine the cost of services is as follows: Service cost* x Volume of service. *Service Cost The unit cost of services is increased annually in line with inflation. The current rates are available on Appendix C If you wish to be placed in a residential/nursing home that exceeds the standard cost for a person of your needs a third party may top up the difference to pay for the costs above the standard rate Stage 3: How much will I have to pay? You will be asked to pay your net disposable income towards the cost of your care. You will only be charged for the service received. If you are assessed as having to pay the full cost of your services you will not be expected to pay for any services you do not receive (i.e. a credit will applied for all services not received). If you are assessed as having to pay a contribution towards the full cost you will not receive a credit unless the cost of the services received in that week is less than your assessed contribution. Note: You will not be expected to pay more than your net disposable income Stage 4: What happens next: The council will notify you in writing to confirm your assessed charge. We will also send you details of how your charge has been calculated. Change in your assessed charge If as a consequence of a charges review, your assessed charge is increased or decreased by more than 15 per week you will be given 2 weeks notification, where after your new rate will be phased in over a period of 3 months. 12. DIRECT PAYMENTS 12.1 Direct payments are available if you have been been assessed as needing a care package but you would like to get money from Adult Services to employ and manage your own care staff directly instead of receiving it from the local council If you receive Direct Payments you will be assessed and charged as though you were receiving the equivalent services. Details of Ealing s Direct Payments Policy can be Found at Ealing Councils Website HEALTH FUNDING If your care package is fully funded by Health/ a Primary Care Trust (PCT) under the NHS Continuing Care Policy you will not have to contribute towards the cost of your care package. If your care package is partly funded by Health/PCT and the council, then we will assess you on your contribution towards the council s cost of the package only. 8

10 14. INDEPENDENT LIVING FUND 14.1 If you receive money from the Independent Living Fund this will be treated as income in your assessment. If the Council provides any of the services in your care package your Independent Living Fund monies will be included as income when you are financially assessed. 15. REVIEW AND APPEALS PROCEDURE 15.1 You can request a review of your assessed charge. A review can be requested for any of the following reasons; incorrect dates or amounts have been used the charge has been incorrectly calculated. additional expenditure which was not previously stated on the financial circumstances form being invoiced for services not received. there are exceptional personal circumstances concerning your financial situation, which mean you believe it is unreasonable for you to pay the assessed charge Reasons that are not directly related to your financial circumstances will not be considered as grounds for review The Income Manager will review your case and take into account the issues you have raised. The manager will write to you with the outcome of the review within 14 working days, they will also explain what to do next if you remain unsatisfied with this response 15.4 If you are unsatisfied with the Income Manager s review of your assessed charge, you can request that this be looked at again. The Head of Finance in consultation with the Head of Service will review your accessed charge and the issues you have raised. They will respond to you within 14 working days with the outcome and will also explain that if you remain unsatisfied that you can Appeal against their decision If you are unsatisfied with the Head of Finance and Head of Service s decision you can Appeal and this will be referred to the Director of Adult Services to review, again you will receive a response within 14 working days as shown in the table below: Activity Reason Lead Officer Targeted Working Days Review A Review B Review C Incorrectly calculated Exceptional personal circumstances Additional expenditure, etc Dissatisfied with outcome of Review A Income Manager (with delegated authority to waive charges.) Head of Finance in consultation with Head of Service Appeals Procedure Refer to Director of Adult Services If you are still dissatisfied with the process then you will need to use Social Services Complaints Procedure. This information can be assessed on the Councils Website

11 16. RECOVERY ACTION 16.1 You or the person managing your financial affairs will receive a monthly invoice to be paid within 14 days. If no payment is received within 14 days we will write to you requesting either prompt payment or that you contact us to explain why payment cannot be made If we have not received a response within 5 days we will try to contact you by phone and can discuss any issues you have. This could include a discussion regarding payments by instalments or how to arrange setting up a standing order If no payment is received or contacte made with us to explain why the charges have not been paid, we will send a second letter explaining what actions we will have to take if we do not receive payment or contact from you within the next 14 days If you are receiving benefits and payment is not received we will consider requesting the Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) to revoke an existing appointeeship and grant the council the role of Corporate Appointee Your file will be passed to our Debt Recovery Team to investigate. The team will consider your case and if necessary meet with representatives from Care Management and Legal services. They will try to resolve the matter with you. In the absence of a satisfactory solution being reached, the outstanding debt will be pursued through the courts. 17. HOW TO PAY 17.1 You can pay monthly on receipt of an invoice by: Cash, cheque or payment book at the council s cashiers located at: Ground Floor Perceval House Uxbridge Road London W5 2HL 17.2 You can also pay by payment book at a Bank, Building Society or Post office. Please note that a charge may be levied for the service Standing order is currently the preferred method of payment and you can obtain a standing form by contacting the Financial Assessment Income Team on Tel: or request a form by from : homecarecharging@ealing.gov.uk 17.4 Cheques should be made payable to Ealing Council 18. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Ealing Council will treat all people with dignity and respect, recognising the value of each individual. The council is committed to eliminating all forms of discrimination in service delivery and employment on grounds of race, gender, disability, age, sexuality and religion. This information is available in the following formats: Braille, large print, tape and disk and most foreign languages. 10

12 Appendix A GUARANTEE FOR PAYMENT OF CARE SERVICE CHARGES To: Ealing Council Perceval House, 14/16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London W5 2HL 1. Arranging Care Services You have agreed to arrange for care services for.. insert all forenames and surname who in this Guarantee is called the client. The client is responsible for paying part or all of the charges for the care services from his/her own money. I collect and manage the client s money for him/her. 2. Guarantee IN CONSIDERATION of your having agreed to arrange for care services for the client I.. insert all forenames and surname of Postcode Insert address unconditionally and irrevocably GUARANTEE to you that the client will pay all charges for the care services for which he/she may be responsible when they fall due. 2. Payment by me If the client does not pay any of the charges for care services when they become due, you will write to me to tell me so. Within 14 days of the date of your letter, I will pay all charges that are in arrears. I will accept that the amount of arrears stated in your letter is correct and binding on the client and me, unless it is obvious that you have made a mistake. 3. Continuing guarantee This Guarantee shall continue until you stop providing care services to the client or I notify you in writing that I have stopped collecting and managing the client s money (whichever happens first). There is no limit to the amount of arrears that I may become responsible for paying you. I will still be responsible for paying all charges that are in arrears, even if you do something (such as allowing more time to pay) that might otherwise have released me from my guarantee 4. Legal advice I acknowledge that you have advised me to seek independent legal advice before signing this guarantee. Signed Date Signed Date Guarantor for and on behalf of the London Borough of Ealing 11

13 Non Residential Fees and Charges 2005/06 APPENDIX B 2005/ /2006 Standard Charge Assessed Charges Charging mechanism 1.Mobile and Day Centre Meals Hot Meals Frozen 3.00 per meal Flat rate charge as directed in Fairer Western European Charging Hal-al East European Afro Caribbean Kosher Respite Care Respite charge - up to 8 weeks Respite charge after 8 weeks Respite charge Over 60 Respite charge Under 60 Respite charge years Respite charge (Mental Health) years Respite charge - Drug & Alcohol Short Break Service Under Supporting People Charges pending review for Supporting People legislation 4. Direct Payments and Domiciliary Care Based on permanent placement cost Based on permanent placement cost Based on permanent placement cost Based on permanent placement cost Based on permanent placement cost Based on permanent placement cost Based on assessable income under Fairer Charging Local Authority charging policy / discretion approved under Fairer Charging Local Authority charging policy / approved under CRAG Local Authority charging policy / approved under CRAG Local Authority charging policy / approved under CRAG Exempt Local Authority charging policy / approved under CRAG Local Authority charging policy / approved under CRAG Local Authority charging policy / approved under CRAG Personal care/ specialist care/ rapid response per hour Minimum charge Maximum charge Cost of service if a full cost client Fairer Charging 12

14 Domestic Care per hour Minimum charge Maximum charge Cost of service if a full cost client Sleep over per night Minimum charge Maximum charge Cost of service if a full cost client Waking night per night Minimum charge Maximum charge Cost of service if a full cost client Live-in care per 24 hours Minimum charge Maximum charge Cost of service if a full cost client Fairer Charging Fairer Charging Fairer Charging Fairer Charging 5.Equipment and minor Variable Exempt N/A adaptation 6. Day Care / Transport Exempt N/A discretion not to charge Fairer Charging The Social Services loan for Major 7.Adaptations Interest at Adaptations was provided as either a Local Average rate supplement to a Home Improvement Grant (under the Housing Act 1974) or to fully cover the cost of a Major Adaptation in clients own home. Loans agreed prior to 1984 were interest free and after that date new loans attracted interest at the Local Average rate this rate is the higher of 2 rates the Council could charge. All loans were secured by a legal charge on property. No more loans were agreed after July 1990 (due to the introduction of Disabled Facilities Grant). The Income section continues to keep details of the outstanding loans, including the calculation of interest currently at 6.49 %. 13

15 Appendix C Disability Related Expenditure (DRE) Where disability benefits are taken into account as income in assessing ability to pay a charge, the user s disability-related expenditure (DRE) is also assessed. The aim is to allow for reasonable expenditure needed for independent living by the disabled person/user. Items where the user has little or no choice other than to incur the expenditure, in order to maintain independence of life, should normally be allowed. Please note that the following disability benefits are already automatically disregarded Disability Living Allowance (Mobility) War Pensioners mobility Supplement War Disability and War Windows Pension disregard the first 10 per week only War Widows Special payments For the following disability benefits there are further factors that will influence if the benefit will be regarded or disregarded : Attendance Allowance / Constant Attendance Allowance (CAA) - if on the higher rate the difference between higher and lower rate will be disregarded unless the user is in receipt of both day and night care. Disability Living Allowance (Care) if on the higher rate the difference between higher and middle rate will be disregarded unless the user is in receipt of both day and night care. Severe Disability Premium (SDP) Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance (ESDA) 50% of the SDP or SDA is disregarded OR the total disability related expenditure (whichever is the greater). It is not possible to provide a completely comprehensive list of disability related expenditure, which can be taken into account in the assessment but the following provides guidance on specific disability expenses. If the total of the DRE is greater than 50% of the (SDP) then the DRE will be disregarded in the assessment. The Government has identified typical annual fuel figures for the following six scenarios. Any fuel costs above this amount should be allowed as an expense or an allowance of 5.00 per week be made for excessive fuel costs incurred by a service user. Single person in flat or terraced property 459 Couple in flat or terraced property 604 Single person in semi-detached property 488 Couple in semi-detached property 640 Single person in detached property 592 Couple in detached property 780 Please note that central Government also award Winter Fuel Payments to Pensioners and these payments are not taken into account as income for assessment purposes but should be noted when considering an allowance for extra heating costs. 14

16 The following are also acceptable allowances: ITEM AMOUNT Community Alarm System Privately arranged care Private Domestic help Actual cost unless included in Housing Benefit or Supporting People Grant Actual cost if social Worker confirms requirement as part of the Care Plan and Council supported care is reduced accordingly Actual cost if Social Worker confirms requirement as part of the Care Plan and Council supported care is reduced accordingly e.g. window cleaning EVIDENCE Bills from provider Signed receipts for at least 4 weeks using a proper receipt book As privately arranged care Laundry/Washing Powder 2.65 per week Care plan identified incontinence problem, more than 4 loads per week Dietary Discretionary as special dietary needs may Details of special not be more expensive than normal purchases Gardening Discretionary based on individual costs of As privately arranged garden maintenance care Wheelchair 2.76 per week manual, 6.71 per week powered (No allowance if equipment provided free of charge) Evidence of purchase Powered bed Turning bed Powered reclining chair Stair-lift Subscriptions for specialist publication Additional costs of bedding, sheets mattress covers Additional cost of clothing, excessive wear & tear, over sizing, soiling Actual cost divided by 500 (10 yr life) Up to a maximum of 3.08 per week Actual cost divided by 500 up to a Maximum of 5.36 per week Actual cost divided by 500 up to a maximum of 2.44 per week Actual cost divided by 500 up to a maximum of 4.32 per week Actual cost/ 5.00 per week if Social Worker confirms requirement as part of the Care Plan Actual cost/ 5.00 per week if Social Worker confirms requirement as part of the Care Plan Evidence of purchase if available Evidence of purchase if available Evidence of purchase if available Evidence of purchase without DFG input Evidence of purchase Evidence of purchase Evidence of purchase Evidence of actual expenditure may be requested, at the council s discretion. Where receipts have not been kept, the council may request that this be done for future expenditure. It is also legitimate for the council to verify that items claimed for have actually been purchased, particularly for unusual items or heavy expenditure. 15