VULNERABLE people living in Worcestershire are to be hit after the county council approved plans to make cuts and increase costs so that it can balance its books.

Frontline services for the physically disabled, mentally ill, elderly, and people with learning difficulties will be affected after it was announced County Hall needed to find ways of meeting a £6.4 million shortfall from its adult and community services budget.

Under the proposals, up to 33 jobs will be lost, lunch clubs in some sheltered housing schemes will be closed, subsidies slashed from 20 per cent to 10 per cent for non-residential services, while charges for transport, meals, day care and home care will all go up.

The move is a part of the council's need to make £18 million of cuts over the next three years, but comes just days after county councillors voted to increase their allowance by 4.8 per cent, despite Labour and Liberal Democrat members voting against it.

The council had committed £4.6 million to the adult and community services budget for this financial year but high demand for existing and new services have seen costs spiral to just under £11 million.

Council leader Dr George Lord described the move as "sickening" and "unpalatable" but said it was something the council had to do because of limited funding from the Government.

Brian Hunt, member of Worcestershire Pensioners Action Group, said the system was in "meltdown".

Councillor Peter Pinfield, who leads the watchdog scrutiny committee on social care services, said the decision to approve the changes was a "backward step" the council would come to regret.

"After 10 years of cross-party support to protect frontline services we are now going to see a massive reduction in both the quality and quantity of services," he said.

The cabinet agreed to a formal consultation into the future of Pershore Day Centre, which could result in its closure - saving about £211,640.

Meanwhile, up to £460,000 could be saved through cuts to the libraries, including staffing changes, axing up to three of the five mobile libraries, reducing opening hours and charging for internet use.