Notts County Council is proposing to make major budget cuts to meet increasing costs and allow a tax freeze next year. But older people will bear the brunt. Jennifer Scott and Charles Walker report.

CATHY Helliwell fears she will be left with only "half a life" if the county council cuts care budgets for older people.

The retired dinner lady says she may have to stop using day-care services if it pushes ahead with plans to hike charges.

Cathy, 73, from Bramcote, has been in a wheelchair for nearly 30 years after injuring her spine in an accident. She lives on her pension and disability benefit.

She already pays about £5 a week for meals and transport to and from Rushcliffe Resource Centre in Loughborough Road, a facility that caters for the disabled and elderly.

But the Conservative-controlled council is considering charging £4 a day for use of its day care centres, a service that is currently free.

In addition, it wants to increase transport charges for those who use their centres from £2.15 a day to £4 a day.

The price of a meal – at day centres and for those who use the meals-at-home service – is set to rise to £3.95.

It is argued the increases could leave such services beyond the reach of Cathy and many like her. She says she will be left housebound.

"Unless my husband Peter is around I can't go anywhere," she said. "My family are brilliant but my son and daughter work and have families.

"The centre is a lifeline. It lets me have contact with people. I do a computer course there and other bits and pieces that help keep my brain active.

"If they raise the charges, I don't know if I'll be able to keep going. We're all on limited incomes.

"I pay £1,200 a year in council tax, but then you see councillors wasting so much money. As usual, it's the vulnerable people in society who end up suffering."

Roy Tomlinson, chairman of Nottingham and Notts Pensioners' Action Group, said: "Social activity is very important; not having it could mean a shorter step to the grave. It's going to have quite a big effect on the elderly."

The adult social care department must find £10.5m in savings in the next financial year.

These account for just under one third of the total savings the council aims to make in 2010/11.

Among the measures proposed are increases in charges for home care, meals at home, transport, day care, and care homes. In addition, four day centres for older people could be closed.

Mike Scott, Unison's joint branch secretary, at the county council, said: "None of this fits in with protecting elderly service users and vulnerable people."

While adult social care bears a large proportion of the total cuts, other departments must also find savings, including £5.6m from children's services, £3m from transport, and £3m by reducing holiday entitlement and mileage rates for staff.

In total, the council aims to find £33.2m of savings next year.

Under the budget proposals, these savings will cover increasing costs and fund new initiatives and an election pledge to freeze council tax.

The largest costs relate to adult social care. The council is predicting major rises in the cost of caring for people with learning and physical disabilities and it anticipates the growing population of older people will require more home, residential and nursing care.

The budget is partly shifting resources from older people who have moderate needs, serviced through days centres, meals at home, and transport, to older people who need extra care and adults with profound needs.

The council tax freeze will cost the authority £9m next year.

It is not only service users who will feel the pinch. Staff will be hit hard. In the coming year 470 jobs are expected to go, with more likely to be axed in the coming years.