The daughter of a former Suffolk County Council chairman is in dispute with the authority he used to serve on - after it stopped direct payments to her for his care when he moved into her home.

Harold Mangar was a Labour member of the county council and Ipswich Borough Council for many years in the 1990s and into the early 2000s.

He was also chairman of the county council in 2002/3, when it was run by a Labour/Liberal Democrat administration.

Mr Mangar is now 84 and suffers from Lewy Body Dementia, which means he needs constant care.

Last year, he sold his home in Colchester Road, Ipswich and the proceeds from the sale were used to build an extension at the home of his daughter, Lee, to allow her to care for him there.

However, the property sale prompted Suffolk County Council to cut the direct payments it made to Mr Mangar for the care he was getting from his daughter, removing the £844 a month it had been paying her to provide the care.

Ms Mangar said: "We now both have to rely on my father's pension and that is not very much - it is very difficult to cope.

"He needs constant care and we felt it was best for him to move in here.

"We used the money from the sale of his home to build an extension with a wet room and other special things that he needs - but the council says that because he sold his home, he is no longer eligible for the care payments."

Care packages are paid by the county council based on an income formula.

The value of homes are not taken into account when these are calculated - but if they are sold, the money that is raised can be.

The county council said it could not comment on individual cases.

However, cabinet member of adult care, Beccy Hopfensperger, said: “Every authority has continued to adjust the number of care packages it provides to eligible residents throughout 2020, as we continue to react to a range of social changes including the effects of the coronavirus on our communities.”