'County Hall cuts will hit the old and vulnerable'

OLDER people will bear the brunt of drastic cuts planned by Notts County Council.

That's the message from angry pensioners, politicians and union officials after the Evening Post yesterday revealed details of County Hall plans to save £85m over the next three years.

Councillors plan to sell all the authority's residential care homes, axe four day-care centres and charge for the rest, almost double the cost of meals for elderly people and hike the cost of home care.

Wheelchair-bound Cathy Helliwell, 73, who regularly attends a day centre, said: "If they raise the charges, I don't know if I'll be able to keep going. We're all on limited incomes."

Roy Tomlinson, 76, chairman of the Nottingham and Notts Pensioners' Action Group, said: "This is a tax on the elderly. It is hitting the most vulnerable parts of our society."

Mike Scott, Unison's joint branch secretary at the county council, said: "We have heard a lot about protecting frontline services and vulnerable people in difficult times. This completely flies in the face of that."

The council says it has to make the savings because of the increased costs posed by an ageing population, efforts to safeguard children and the recession.

But it also wants to make good on a Tory manifesto pledge to freeze council tax next year at a cost of £9m.

Despite the cuts, the council is investing £15.5m in adult social care and health next year to cope with the strain on services.

Council leader Kay Cutts said: "There are difficult but necessary decisions to be made. We cannot spend money we do not have."