Those receiving adult social care in Harrow could end up paying more after the council agreed to change its charges for next year.

Harrow Council’s cabinet approved plans to remove some discounts and benefits to those who receive care, which should generate an extra £362,000 a year.

It says this will bring it in line with most other councils across the country and complies with the Care Act 2014.

Pensioners who receive a 50 per cent discount on care – 140 people in Harrow – will have to pay an average of an extra £3,000 a year.

Those in receipt of employment benefits could lose their 25 per cent discount, which will leave more than 600 people worse off by up to £9 a week.

And the introduction of further assessments and charges for non-residential services will result in an additional £130,000 for the council.

Cllr Simon Brown, responsible for adults and public health at Harrow Council, said it “cannot afford to be as generous anymore”.

He added that the changes “may cause financial difficulties for some residents” but the council is looking at measures to mitigate this before they go live on April 1.

The leader of Harrow Council, Cllr Graham Henson, said the decision was motivated by underfunding from central government.

He said: “We’ve taken a different approach to most of the country, but the fact is we cannot afford to do it anymore.

“Our funding has been cut dramatically and we’ve seen pressures escalating at a significant rate.

“We’ve waited months for the [government report] on adult social care and it’s clear that we need long term funding to plan properly for the future.”

And Cllr Adam Swersky, responsible for finance at Harrow Council, said it was “right” that Harrow “levels the playing field”.