Care Fees Avoidance - a podcast by BBC Radio 5 live

Adrian Goldberg asks whether it's easier to avoid paying care home fees and get the state to pay in some areas than others. Elderly people in need of residential care receive no financial help from the local authority if their assets, including their homes, are worth more than £23,250. It's led to some estate planners advising families how to hide their assets and get the state to fund care instead. But these families risk legal action from councils if they can prove individuals have deliberately deprived themselves of assets to avoid the cost of care. Adrian Goldberg reveals which local authorities are clamping down on the practice and those which aren't. Plus, the payday loan company that threatened customers it might contact their employer if they didn't settle their debts.

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