DORSET branch secretary of the GMB union Gary Pattison said the news of the loss of 500 posts next year could not be worse timed.

He said: “It’s horrific, it’s right on Christmas so for a lot of people it couldn’t be a worse time.”

Mr Pattison said the unions had been working on their own set of proposals to address the shortfall in Government spending that would not include cuts of public sector posts.

Unison branch secretary Pamela Jefferies added: “It’s going to have a huge impact on a lot of lives and a lot of families and it’s not good news.”

Mrs Jefferies also blasted the council for not opening up to offers for voluntary redundancy across the authority.

She said: “It’s much better that people who go are people that volunteered to go rather than people who were coerced into going.”

Co-ordinator of Age Concern Weymouth Nigel Coles said: “To hear that day centres will be reduced is a big blow and a lot of people will be very disappointed.

“The impact on older people will be very great if there’s any decrease in services and it will really put pressure on Age Concern.”