SPENDING cuts which critics say would hit the old, the young, the poor and the disabled look set to get the go-ahead next week (Wednesday, March 16).

Faced with slashing spending by more than £370m, senior officials at Durham County Council are recommending the Labour cabinet approve proposals to save around £1.5m through cuts to home to school transport and the Care Connect community alarm scheme.

The school transport service would be reduced to the legal minimum, ending the automatic right to free transport for children who move house during their GCSEs and post-16 students who live in areas without viable public transport or are unable to travel independently due to a medical condition or disability.

The changes would not affect those receiving free transport due to low family income and a new £150,000 hardship fund would be set up.

They would apply for new courses only, from September – the 334 young people currently benefitting from the existing arrangements would not lose out.

On Care Connect, those who currently pay nothing for the community alarm system because they receive means-tested benefits would have to pay £2.80 per week, while those currently making a contribution, of £4.60 per week, would see the cost increase to £4.80.

The changes would take effect from April. Telecare customers would not be affected.

Consultation on both proposals was undertaken in the autumn and the cabinet will be asked to give the go-ahead to both when it meets at Durham County Hall next Wednesday (March 16).

Councillor Ossie Johnson, the cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said the school transport change was one of a number of difficult decisions Durham and other councils were having to make in the light of “very challenging financial circumstances”, while Cllr Eddie Tomlinson, the cabinet member for assets, strategic housing and rural issues, said the council could only continue to provide Care Connect by changing the charging policy.

The cabinet will also be asked to order consultation on changes to non-residential social care services that would save around £1m by 2019-20.

The proposal is to end the practice of automatically disregarding half of the weekly Severe Disability Premium (SDP) when assessing the finances of people seeking non-residential social care.

Consultation would run from April to June, with the cabinet taking a final decision in September and any changes taking effect from October.

Last week the council, which is axing 2,300 jobs, was criticised for spending thousands of pounds in public money cutting the grass in private gardens - a practice it has now moved to end.