A DECISION to scrap "good neighbour" visits to thousands of elderly people by the end of the month have been described as deplorable by a leading charity.

Age UK says Oxfordshire County Council's bid to save £500,000 will leave hundreds who have no family or friends isolated.

It accused the authority of "deserting" the vulnerable.

The council says it has no other option because the government has slashed millions of pounds from its funding.

Contracted support workers make the short visits during the day – usually every week – when they can speak to elderly people at home about their needs.

But in a letter sent out last week – seen by the Oxford Mail – the county council said the service had been culled in its latest round of budget cuts.

Age UK Oxfordshire chief executive Paul Cann said the move was "deplorable".

He added: "This is the latest example of Oxfordshire deserting vulnerable people and we condemn it."

Former Unipart records officer Betty McDowell, of Harebell Road in Blackbird Leys, said it could leave some elderly people "totally on their own".

The 84-year-old, who lives alone and has been told she will no longer receive visits from GreenSquare housing association support officers, said: "My three children come and visit me a lot, and I also go to Options in the Slade on Fridays to a social club.

"But if they do not have any family left this could leave some people totally on their own when they need someone.

"When you are living alone it gives you someone to talk to. They usually come in and sit on your sofa and chat for a few minutes just to make sure you are all right and if anything needs doing.

"Now we've been told that is going to end. It just feels like the elderly are being pushed to one side at the moment.

"I've worked all my life until I was 60 and lived through the war. Are people like me not entitled to a comfortable life at the end of it?

"The council seems to be saying 'oh, they will be all right'. But not everyone will. I feel very sorry for some people."

The letter from the county council said: "Adult social care is the council’s biggest individual area of spend excluding schools.

"The council has a good track record over the last decade of investing in adult social care to cover increased demand.

"However, in order to continue to meet our statutory responsibilities with a reduced budget we are having to cut back our provision on non-statutory services – that is, services that we are not required by law to provide.

"This includes the planned support service you are receiving.

"If you are concerned about the impact of this service ending on your day-to-day life, there are advice and information services provided by the council that may be able to help you."

In Oxford, a letter accompanying it from housing association GreenSquare to its tenants added: "When we wrote to all Homelink customers last year, we asked whether people would be prepared to pay for this service themselves if the council stopped funding it.

"Unfortunately, not enough people said they were willing to do this to make it a financially viable option.

"Over the next few weeks your support officer will work with you to look at your available options once this service has closed, and to put you in touch with any services that are appropriate for your needs.

"We are very sorry that we can no longer offer this service to you and we wish you the very best for the future."

A petition against the end of planned support was started on Friday night. For information visit change.org/p/councillor-ian-hudspeth-save-our-home-care-end-county-council-cuts