Care Forum Wales (CFW) has accused Denbighshire County Council of budgeting for “rock bottom” fees for care homes that will be wiped out by inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

The not-for-profit body said the council was budgeting for care home fee rises of around 8% in 2024/2025, much less than increases of up to 20% planned by neighbouring Conwy Council.

CFW said this meant Denbighshire would be paying £9,224 a year less per person than Conwy, equivalent to almost £370,000 for a 40-bed care home.

Mario Kreft, chair of CFW, accused the council of “flouting the guidance and betraying elderly, vulnerable people with dementia for many years”.

“How can the council’s chief executive, Graham Boase, and the leader, cllr Jason McLellan, justify paying £9,224 less a year towards the cost of dementia care for a resident in Rhyl compared to Kinmel Bay? he asked. “In fact, how do they sleep at night with that on their conscience?”

Denbighshire County Council said it was currently in the process of setting a “very difficult and challenging” council wide budget for 2024/25 under “huge financial pressures”.

A spokesperson said: “We want to retain a good relationship with the owners of our local residential care homes here in Denbighshire and are currently consulting with them on our proposed additional fees, for elderly residents to be housed in a residential care home for next year. We look forward to receiving their responses.”

The council said it was important to wait until the overall budget process was over before comparing the amount of fees being paid by each local authority.