DISABLED pensioners claim they are being victimised by a ‘penny pinching’ Oxfordshire County Council.

From September, the cash-strapped council will make around 800 people with stairlifts in their home pay for the machine’s maintenance and upkeep.

The authority pays the bill for the stairlifts, which are fitted in the homes of disabled people.

But in a move it hopes will save it about £300,000 a year, it will shift responsibility for repairs and call outs for the equipment to the lift owners.

Call-outs for repairs can cost up to £200 a time.

Ian Tilling, 71, suffers from cardiopulmonary disease, a lung and heart disorder, which means he cannot physically get up the stairs without using his stairlift.

His wife Frances, 73, also uses the chair to lug heavy but vital oxygen tanks for Mr Tilling up the stairs at night.

Mr Tilling, of Yarnton Road, Kidlington, had his stairlift fitted by Cherwell District Council for free four years ago. The responsibility for it was then handed over to Oxfordshire County Council, which has paid for its upkeep for the past three years.

He said: “We have had a letter saying we will be responsible for this as of September 1.

“It’s disgusting. We’re being victimised by the council just to save a few pennies.

“We are pensioners on a very modest income. We don’t have the money to be paying hundreds of pounds a year for this.”

Oxfordshire County Council said there are 793 people supported with the servicing and maintenance of stairlifts, a third more than in 2003 when there was 604.

Now only the ‘most vulnerable’ will have their lifts paid for, but it was unable to define how many people would qualify.

It said the stairlifts cost approximately £295 per year each, including insurance, servicing twice a year, call out costs and repairs. County-wide they also incurred staffing costs of about £30,000.

It predicted the costs and the number of people using stairlifts would increase in coming years.

Oxfordshire County Council spokesman Marcus Mabberley said councils did not have a ‘statutory’ duty to provide the service.

He added: “Many local authorities have taken the same or similar steps to this council when it comes to this area.

“All relevant lifts are scheduled to be serviced before the end of September, when the service will end.”

He said the cutbacks were necessary as the council planned to make £119m in savings up to 2015.