THREATS to cap a rise in Worcestershire's council tax bills could lead to a surge in bed-blocking at our hospitals and see the axing of more than 25 social workers - leaving vulnerable children at risk, it has been claimed.

Dr George Lord, leader of Worcestershire County Council, has warned that threats to cap their proposed 5.3 per cent council tax increase could have "massive and catastrophic implications" for the county's residents.

He has hit out against the warning letter he and 30 other authority leaders across the country received on Friday from Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford.

Mr Raynsford has told the county council it must now take steps to reduce its proposed rise to 4.9 per cent - a figure which would be impossible to achieve without serious implications on the county's services, says Coun Lord.

It would mean the council would have to make savings of around £500,000 in its budget - seeing cuts in social services, highway maintenance and e-government spending, Coun Lord added.

It could see a surge in "bed-blocking" at the county's hospitals because cash-strapped social services would not be able to finance moving elderly residents - who are well enough to leave hospital but too infirm to return to their own homes - into care homes.

This could lead to social services paying out hundreds of thousands of pounds in fines to the county's hospitals for failing to free-up beds in a scheme introduced this month by the Government in a bid to combat bed-blocking.

"Social services will probably be hit the worst," said Coun Lord, who warned they might have to axe 25 social worker jobs. "This means there will be a high risk that we will be unable to protect vulnerable children and adults."

The county's roads could also be forced into a state of dilapidation - as the council will not be able to fund repair works, such as filling in pot-holes.

The cash cuts could also threaten services which the county has prided itself on, including the popular new "one-stop shops" in Evesham and Malvern, which advise more than 8,000 customers a month on water rates and council tax, said Coun Lord.

He is now writing to Mr Raynsford, and all the county's MPs - boycotting the capping threats.

"It's simple. I cannot force it down to below five per cent," he said. "I think the Government is making empty threats that it will not be able to sustain."

He said he felt the council had been forced to raise council tax because of central Government pressures on local authority spending.

A spokesman for Herefordshire Council said the council had not yet set its council tax increase and the authority had received no warning letter from the Government.

Should the Government dictate how much councils can spend on local services? We'd like to hear your views. Write to: Your Say, Evening News, Hylton Road, Worcester, WR2 5JX or email: wenletters@midlands.newsquest.co.uk.