NEW improved measures to help the borough's most vulnerable adults have been recommended by council bosses in Blackburn and Darwen.

The new eligibility measures, to be introduced on September 1, mean that adults needing residential care and those needing support to live independently will soon have access a range of services.

Councillor Sue Reid, executive member for social services, said: "We constantly seek to improve access to services for adults in need of our support.

"The new eligibility criteria will help us to target the right people and their carers for the right kind of support.

"We are faced with an ever increasing demand for scarce resources to provide the services people need to maintain a decent quality of life."

She said that the council have already put money into the scheme, but decisions still needed to be made about the best way to target services.

"It means the council will also be looking for new innovative and alternative ways, both corporately and with partners in the voluntary and private sectors, to provide services for people whose needs are of lesser priority," she said.