A man has criticised a care home where his parents are residing after a fee increase of 12 per cent was announced.

Pendle Brook Care Home on Haworth Street, Oswaldtwistle ‘reluctantly’ announced that a 12 per cent increase of residents’ fees will be in place from April 1.

Trevor Riley’s father and step-mother, both in their 80s, moved into the care home in December of last year and Trevor says he was not told about a potential fee increase.

An email was sent out on February 27 by Rochcare, which owns Pendle Brook Care Home as well as three other homes, saying the fee change is due to national minimum wage, pensions and ‘general overheads’ increasing.

Trevor said: “I just don’t think it’s justified. I chose the care home for them because they were a good price compared to others which can cost up to £1,000. The care home itself is brilliant but it’s just the cost.

“At the moment, each of my parents pay £850 a week so a 12 per cent increase is going to cost an extra £52 a week which is £5,304 a year so £10,608 in total of my parents’ hard-earned savings.

“I think it’s taking advantage once again of the elderly because they’re in a position where they have no choice.

“It’s always been a grey area, you always want to leave a little nest egg for your children and my dad’s always said to me ‘you’ll be alright’ with the money they leave, so I haven’t told my dad how much it costs because he would be horrified if he thought it was £400 a week never mind over £800.”

A spokesperson for Pendle Brook Care Home said: “In response to the recent increase in costs for our services, we understand the frustration of our residents and their families and we sympathize with the ongoing increasing cost of living crisis that many are facing.

“We would like to reassure you the decision to increase the prices is never made lightly.

“It will come as no surprise to many that the increase in UK prices, combined with a squeeze on income, is impacting nearly every sector, not least the care home industry.

"Care homes across the UK are all affected by these issues and have increased fees to cope.

“We continuously strive to provide the best services at the most competitive prices, and we are doing our best to keep our prices as low as possible in what is an unprecedented time of financial upheaval, however the ongoing energy crisis, rising food costs and increased wages for our staff have unfortunately had a knock-on effect.

“We are continually looking for ways to reduce costs and increase value. We thank our residents and families for their continued support and understanding.”