Oxfordshire's social services chief Mary Robertson has urged people to protest at swingeing cuts which will hit the county's elderly and disabled, writes Roseena Parveen.

The county social services committee yesterday voted unanimously to chop 2.6m from its budget without a single demonstrator in sight.

Further cuts are in the pipeline, with social services facing an 11m deficit over three years.

But social services director Mrs Robertson said she believed it was important that people should protest. She told councillors: "I think there would be a point in people demonstrating. Previous demonstrations have certainly had an impact on councillors. Even if councillors feel unable to change the decisions, it is important that the public's views are expressed. People must not feel discouraged from making their views known.

"The problem with these latest cuts is that it is hard for people to visualise the impact they will have.''

But campaigner for the disabled Janet Mace said the reason there were no protesters was that decisions had already been made and their voice would not be heard.

She said: "Two years ago we had 18 speakers and 200 people protesting. But it is not fair to have these suffering people demonstrating outside only for them to be faced with ever more cuts. We feel we could no longer put anyone through all that stress of being here." The cuts and savings agreed yesterday include:

150,000 from OAP day centres by combining projects in the eight centres to reduce overall costs.

150,000 from residential care for disabled people.

100,000 by forcing parents to pay when their children are taken into care.

330,000 by charging the full cost of community care to people with savings of more than 12,000 forcing more disabled and elderly people to pay for their care.

Some management posts in social services are also at risk. Proposals to cut staff training were dropped after Cllr Margaret Godden argued that they could affect health and safety requirements.

Unison, the public sector workers' union, predicted that the cuts would push council staff to breaking point. Oxfordshire Unison branch secretary Mark Fysh said: "We have endured five years of cuts. The morale of social services staff and people's health in many cases is at breaking point.

"Social services in this county is sinking slowly again. The money Oxfordshire currently receives for its social services department has to change now or it simply cannot continue to function in a realistic form.

"In the past we have agreed to freeze vacancies but that effectively means fewer people doing more and more work. Eventually we get to a situation where staff fall ill."

Mrs Robertson said she was not aware of a rise in sickness among social services staff but realised they were under great pressure. She added: "I have pointed out to the committee my concern where front line workers are having to say no to people in need. The mere fact they have to do this puts them under great stress. I am very concerned about the impact of these cuts on staff."

NOT all youths at controversial children's home Thornbury House are to blame for Kidlington's problems, the committee was told.

Thornbury House in The Moors, was dubbed a "school for crime" at a stormy public meeting last week. But last night assistant director of social services countered: "Not all people living at Thornbury are to blame.

"Four people caused much of the difficulties experienced recently in the area and action was taken."

Six to 12 per cent of crime in Kidlington was said to be committed by children at Thornbury in the last year.

Mr Hodgson said: "The task before us is to realise that these are vulnerable and damaged young people. It takes time to change their behaviour."

The four youths were said to have been separated when police moved one out of the county, sent one to a young offenders institute and two others were placed in secure accommodation.