PROTESTERS took to the steps of County Hall in Dorchester to voice their fears over plans to close day care centres across Dorset.

Campaigners joined forces with county councillors and union leaders to make their feelings known about the growing raft of cuts facing Dorset County Council as it tries to juggle its budget.

Council chiefs are consulting on the proposal to axe day centres - at Fernhill in Weymouth, Beaminster, Swanage and Gillingham - to save £600,000. A centre at Crossways near Dorchester, which was suspended in May due to low usage, is also facing permanent closure.

Campaigners came from across the county ahead of a meeting of the council's community overview committee, which was discussing next year's budget.

And they vowed that they would return to each meeting before a final decision is made on the future of the services.

Coun Richard Biggs, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the county council, said: "We are opposing the proposed cuts on the grounds that they are shortsighted. We are going to be needing more care, not less, with more and more elderly people coming into the county.

"They changed the criteria so fewer people were eligible and it's that policy that's created the situation where fewer people are using the centres.

"These closures will save small amounts of money when they seem to be able to find money for consultants and £16 million for the Fit for the Future programme.

"These services should be the top priority. The human cost is far greater than the financial one."

Protestor Wendy Webb, of Chickerell, whose brother Paul has learning disabilities and uses the threatened day centre at Blandford, said she was extremely concerned that his standard of life would be affected.

She said: "Paul has been attending that day centre for three years. It's a wonderful centre that meets my brother's specific needs. Through the staff's dedication and work his life has been enhanced.

"It's not fair to send him halfway across Dorset to another centre."

Labour group leader Coun Mike Byatt said he believed there was no point in the county council coming up with a Fit for the Future programme if it was not fit for the purpose of serving the public.

"The whole emphasis of the Fit for the Future programme, of which these proposals form part, is about efficiencies but it fails to achieve the most important issue which is providing a service to the most vulnerable people in the community.

"There's always space for making efficiencies in the budget but they should make sure that they do not affect front-line services."

Branch secretary for Unison Pamela Jeffries said members would be protesting about all proposed cuts including the closure of the day centres and the reduction in opening hours at the county's libraries on Wednesday. She said: "We're concerned not just about the jobs at day centres but also at libraries. It always seems to be front-line services."

In the meeting Coun Brian Ellis raised concerns there appeared to be no timetable for consultation on the proposals and was told that a deadline for comments was December 10, yet all views would be considered before a final decision was taken.

He said the proposal to close the day centres was unacceptable.

Coun David Milstead said he was concerned cuts were being made when the council was spending thousands on recruiting new officers.

The budget, including proposals to close the day centres, will be discussed by the council's cabinet on Wednesday.