SOCIAL services spending is spiralling out of control with Worcestershire staring at a near £5m deficit unless drastic cuts are made.

A predicted overspend of £2.1m in June has shot up to £4.6m after just five months of the financial year.

County council chief executive Rob Sykes has stepped in to try and resolve the financial mess.

Mr Sykes led a public meeting at County Hall on the issue yesterday in the absence of director of social services Peter Gilbert.

And he painted a bleak picture for carers.

"I can't say everything is fine when, in reality, there are problems with the social service budget," he said.

Mr Sykes said proposed savings of £1.2m in children's services for this year looked unlikely to be met.

Rising costs of children's services are blamed for the cash crisis with Worcestershire having about 150 more children in care than other shire counties.

Social services has an annual budget of £80.9m - £49.6m on adult services, £20.8m on children's services and £10.5m on management and support. It receives the second lowest allocation among shire counties in the country.

It can cost as much as £100,000 a year to care for a child. One cost-cutting measure put forward is aimed at saving £700,000 by relocating 17 children.

Council leader Carol Warren said the authority needed the support of the county's six MPs and carers to get Worcestershire a "fair deal".

The county council's fragile financial state means it has just £4m in reserves and a recommendation is going before council that £1m of reserves is given to social services.

"The executive committee is going to be faced with some difficult issues because, if the leader's recommendations are adopted, the council will be left with £3m in reserves," added Mr Sykes.

"Just £3m in reserves is a problem," he said.

For example, if a school was destroyed by fire the county council would have to pay the first £1m towards a replacement, he said.