THE chairman of a key watchdog says Worcestershire's councils are "under attack" due to funding cuts.

Peter Pinfield, from Healthwatch, has criticised central Government for leaving local government "struggling" to provide basic services.

His comments were made during a debate on Worcestershire County Council's new five-year blueprint, where he voiced concern over whether important elements of the plan will get done.

The document, called 'Shaping Worcestershire's Future', includes at least 20 key targets in areas like economic growth, job creation, better school place planning, congestion and the environment, as this newspaper has reported on in recent weeks.

It also includes a section on health and wellbeing, which is where Healthwatch comes in as a watchdog overseeing county services.

Mr Pinfield, speaking during a meeting of the health and wellbeing panel, said: "Strategic plans must have a vision and be positive, and I think this document does do that.

"I'd like to offer my support for the plan as local government does seem to be under attack at the moment, and we all need to get behind a better deal for Worcestershire.

"It's a plan that will prove really difficult to achieve because of the difficult task facing local government ahead.

"If you can achieve just some of the things in this plan, then great."

During the debate Councillor Simon Geraghty, the council's leader, said it would be down to teamwork.

"I wouldn't want to shy away from that, there are a number of financial challenges we face over the next five years," he said.

"But I cannot emphasise enough that we can't achieve this vision on our own, it's a plan for Worcestershire, rather than this council, and we need to work with our communities on it."

Sander Kristel, one of the corporate directors at County Hall, said: "It is a difficult financial climate at the moment."

The dossier makes a big play of growing Worcestershire's economy by a third and creating 25,000 new jobs by 2025, under an existing target agreed with the Local Enterprise Partnership.

We revealed last year how the council is expecting to have to save a record £34 million in 2017/18.

The new vision will run from 2017 to 2021, subject to it being endorsed in a full council meeting next Thursday.