WORCESTERSHIRE County Council has been given a dressing down for the way it handled its decision to cut funding for hot meals for elderly people living in sheltered housing.

The council has been criticised for its lack of communication with the housing associations about why it had made the cuts and what it expected from them in the future.

In the final report, Councillor Peter Pinfield, lead member of the meal provision for older and vulnerable adults scrutiny task group, said: “It is our view that the adult and community services directorate did not consult with the sheltered housing associations before withdrawing the subsidies, which made it unnecessarily difficult for those affected to manage the situation.

“We acknowledge that the cut was made as part of a package of emergency measures to tackle increasing budget pressures but we have significant concerns about the way in which the withdrawal of catering subsidy was communicated to very sheltered housing providers.”

Housing associations have always served residents one hot meal a day but since the council withdrew its subsidy, prices have soared and services have reduced.

Your Worcester News previously reported how the council made cuts to save £276,500 a year because the adult and community service department needed to claw back £6.3 million last financial year.

When the decision was announced thousands of people signed petitions, 500 of which were collected in an hour outside the Guildhall in Worcester last month.

Ron Chambers, chairman of Worcestershire Pensioners’ Action Group, agreed County Hall had not handled consultations well. He said: “If they had gone out and asked people to contribute £1 extra for meals I’m certain that they would have said yes but it never happened. There was no communication.

He said the number of pensioners now using the service had dropped since the subsidy cut.

Coun Pinfield said the council had to learn lessons.

“We are saying the council and cabinet have got to be better next time they deal with the public, especially the elderly and vulnerable,” he said.

Coun Pinfield said when the meals provision contract goes out to tender next year the service provider will need to look at a more flexible service, including taking a look at the popularity of lunch clubs.

“It is a quarter of a million pound contract so it is a lot of public money.

“The people of Worcestershire are entitled to expect the very best,” he said.

The report will be discussed by cabinet on Thursday, December 18.