EXTRA cutbacks on learning disability services form the backbone of a new £76million savings programme being undertaken by Lancashire County Council.

Labour leaders at County Hall said they have been forced to find unprecedented service reductions at the behest of the coalition at Westminster.

It is believed £4million can be hacked from the domicilary care budget, affecting 1,800 people with learning disabilities countywide, by reducing one-to-one care hours and encouraging the greater use of remote ‘telecare’ in supported lodgings.

Another £3.4million can be found next year alone by renegotiating staff contracts for four former NHS learning disability supported living schemes, according to finance bosses.

Before 2017-18 the authority must find an overall total of £300million - of which £117million has been identified - and all staff are being given the option of taking voluntary redundancy County councillor David Borrow, deputy county leader, said: “These proposals underline the scale of the challenge we face.

“Having already taken £220million out of the budget over the last three years we are now forced to cut a further £300million over the next four years, as a result of unprecedented cuts made by central government.”

County leader Coun Jennifer Mein also warned that ‘radical solutions’ must be found by 2018 as their spending power is cut in half.

But proposals for a new ‘living wage’, affecting more than 3,600 county staff, are causing concern to opposition leader Coun Geoff Driver, who fears they will add £3.2million to the council’s deficits.

He said: “I am in favour of the living wage as long as it’s properly funded. I am also concerned about the administration not guaranteeing they will ensure all schools will be given money for this.

“You could have a case where a school at one end of a street can afford it and one at the other end cannot and I would like a commitment that they will not reduce workers’ hours to make up the difference, like other councils have done.”

The remainder of next year’s £76million savings round will be thrashed out before a final budget is set next February.