THE council has put almost £2million extra into the Social Services budget this year, but is still having to make cuts to balance the books. This year the cuts will seriously affect elderly people, adults with disabilities, children in need and their families.

We won't let this happen! For the families directly affected, the cuts will be devastating. The services will carry on in a fashion, and the Re:d Centre will stay open, but many families will actually experience severe reductions in respite care, and some will not be eligible for services at all.

You could see from the strength of feeling outside the town hall on Wednesday evening last week that these families desperately need the services to be maintained as they are. They say that family breakdown will result if not.

This is crisis management and no way to run long-term services. Bury's vulnerable families need us to stand with them and demand a better way.

If we are short of money, we need to be open about it and go to the Government for more. After all, Geoff Hoon is able to find an extra £3.7 billion to finance the war!

SUE ARNALL