Elderly and disabled campaigners will take to the streets this weekend in their battle against proposals to increase charges for help washing, dressing and preparing meals.

Kingston Council recently extended its three month consultation until February on proposals to increase charges for home care which would affect around 600 people including blind people and people with HIV.

Campaigners will gather outside Bentall Centre in Kingston town centre and the Co-op supermarket in New Malden High Street on Saturday morning.

Jane Young, Kingston Council's former disability and access officer, said: “We want to make an impact that goes beyond just having a website, signing petitions and sending emails to the council and say to Kingston 'there are serious cuts affecting us now and they could affect a lot more people in the future'.

“We are hoping this, as well as everything else we have done, will persuade the council that there are lots of people who are really upset about these proposals.”

The plans include removing the cap on weekly home care charges, charging some people 100 per cent of their disposable income, and making people with savings above £23,250 pay the full cost of their care.

Day care services could also be axed.

Kingston Council said it needed to increase charges because of government funding cuts, and to bring home care charges in line with residential care, but said it would protect people on low incomes.

Nine voluntary groups which work with elderly and disabled people have criticised the consultation.

Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, one of the country's leading disability campaigners, said the plans would prevent disabled people owning a house or getting married.

There are two more public meetings on the proposals at the King Charles Centre, Surbiton on January 14 at 11am and at the Hook Centre, Chessington, on Monday, January 17 at 11am.