Two weeks after the Oxford Mail revealed that only eight of the county's 160 severely disabled people will get housing after their carers die, the council has admitted it may not have enough funds.

The plan could be jeopardised as just £200,000 of the £300,000 requested is likely to be granted by the Government.

Social services want to spend £100,000 adapting existing homes in the county. A further £200,000 is needed to buy a house for four people with learning disabilities.

Now the council must persuade North East Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust to approve the scheme, and find the £100,000 shortfall. Mencap has criticised social services departments for failing to pre-empt the problem as more people rely on ageing parents for round-the-clock care.

Alan Sinclair, the council's head of disability services, remains confident that the county's strategy to avert a housing crisis will succeed, despite cash problems.

He said: "It is good news we are through the first stage in the bidding process but we still have much work to do. We are not going to get much in the way of new property in Oxfordshire, of all places, with only £100,000.

"What has been earmarked is less than we need. We may come up with an alternative. We do not want to lose that £200,000 that has been set aside for this year. We were not very hopeful we would get anything at all."

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