IT’S alarming to hear that further cuts in social care are being proposed in Oxfordshire.

If these cuts do go ahead, some of the most vulnerable people in society will be affected.

According to council leaders, these additional cuts of £20m, on top of £64m that have already been budgeted for, have been prompted by an increase in demand for adult and children’s social care, and a lack of funding generated by the council tax.

Council leader Ian Hudspeth says the rising cost of social care services means other key services, including transport, are being squeezed. But in recent months the Government has flagged up multi-million pound road schemes across the county.

The county council is quite right to warn of potential cutbacks in vital services at the earliest possible opportunity.

Now it needs to establish a rigorous consultation process with the public on where the axe should fall.

In the past, council leaders have faced the public in roadshows to discuss reduced services and they need to do so again.

Cuts in adult social care and children’s services can be expected to prompt noisy protests and, as the county council gets a large chunk of its funding from the Government, people should also be quizzing their MPs on why this reduction is necessary.

So far the coalition has not been keen on local authorities increasing council tax to pay for additional services but that is an option the public should be consulted on.

Putting the council tax up is never going to be popular, but if it is one way of protecting vital services then the move should at least be considered.