A WORCESTERSHIRE councillor says he fears service reductions for vulnerable people is "inevitable" - despite more cash being ploughed in.

Lib Dem Councillor Tom Wells, who chairs a key County Hall panel which examines elderly care, says he fears a "Rolls Royce" standard-service may prove impossible to sustain due to the sheer demographic pressures.

Due to the increasing number of elderly people and reducing Government funding, the county council has a well-established yearly programme aimed at saving around £25 million a year, although it will rise to £34 million for 2017/18.

A new report on the immediate savings plans for 2016/17 requires £9.6 million of cuts in the adult services and health directorate.

That target was upped by £500,000 in recent weeks, with some of the cuts including less funding for district liaison nurses, a review of care packages for the disabled and £100,000 off helping disabled people find employment.

Despite those proposed reductions, another £4.2 million will be sunk into elderly care if a four per cent council tax rise is voted through next Thursday.

Councillor Wells said the financial pressures, coupled with the complexity of old people coming forward for help, concerns him.

"I think service reductions are inevitable, it's going to happen and I don't think the county council should be ashamed to admit that," he said.

"If the council provided a 'Rolls Royce service' in the past, it might have to be a Reliant Robin one in the future.

"The question is, what do we then do if the CQC (Care Quality Commission, a statutory watchdog) does an inspection and finds we are failing.

"We have an incredible moral responsibility to ensure the decisions being made are properly thought through."

Speaking during a meeting of the adult care and well-being overview and scrutiny panel, he asked fellow councillors for feedback.

Labour Councillor Chris Bloore said: "I do think we're at the minimum (level of service) now, it's certainly not above that - it's not a Rolls Royce service."

Conservative Councillor Rob Adams added: "It's not going to end up like that at all (a so-called Reliant Robin service), there are 57 of us councillors - we wouldn't allow that."

The council spends £127 million on adult social care and health now, around 38 per cent of its total net budget.

As we revealed in January, the leadership has revealed plans to spend £2 million on helping develop new technology to keep frail people at home for longer.

The pioneering project will see it link with private technology developers to look at launching new products.

Councillor Sheila Blagg, the cabinet member for adult care and well-being, has already issued a rallying call for all the political parties to back a tax rise, saying it will "significantly" help her department.

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