CUTS should be made to county councillor allowances rather than to sheltered housing schemes in Waverley to plug Surrey’s budget deficit, a group for the disabled has protested.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) Surrey’s full council will decide whether to axe key funding of £176,000 to the borough council, which underpins Waverley’s sheltered housing service.

The eight sheltered housing schemes administered by Waverley that will be directly affected include Falkner Court, Riverside Court and Shepherds Court in Farnham.

Waverley Borough Council is opposed to the cuts, which its housing portfolio holder branded “short sighted” and said caused “real concerns about the safety and well-being of our more vulnerable residents who depend on the day to day help and support of their manager” in the sheltered housing schemes.

Full council members will decide if Surrey County Council (SCC) should continue to provide funding for housing related support for people with learning, physical and sensory disabilities and services for older people.

SCC intends to continue funding the socially excluded - those with mental health issues, those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, ex-offenders and the gypsy and traveller community.

If the changes are approved, SCC will save £3.7 million towards a £26 million shortfall in its adult social care services for 2016/17.

Urging that cuts to plug the shortfall could and should be made elsewhere, David Beaman, chairman of South West Surrey Disabled Alliance Network, said “There is a more controversial area in which savings could be made.

“The agenda for the next full council meeting also includes a report of the independent remuneration panel reviewing members’ allowances and while some reductions are proposed the basic annual allowance paid to all 81 councillors is recommended to be unchanged at £12,442.80p.

“The report states that this allowance is one of the highest in the South East and in the top quartile for local authorities nationally. All councillors have had their annual allowance to support local projects in their divisions reduced from £10,600 to £6,000 but their personal allowances will remain unchanged.

“One would have thought that councillors, themselves, would want to be seen to do as they say, so they, too, should bear some of the pain and show that ‘we are all in it together’.

“If the elderly and disabled are being expected to bear some of the cuts then councillors, too, should be expected to lead by example and reduce their personal allowances to the South East average.

“For councillors of all parties at the same meeting to make such savage cuts that will so dramatically effect the elderly and disabled whilst protecting their own financial allowances would be sheer hypocrisy.”

Responding to the cost-cutting proposal, Haslemere borough councillor Carole King, Waverley’s portfolio holder for housing, said; “Together with members of the Waverley Tenants’ Panel, I attended most of the consultation events held by Surrey County Council, with our sheltered housing tenants.

“The proposed cuts are short-sighted and I have real concerns about the safety and well-being of our more vulnerable residents who depend on the day to day help and support of their manager. Waverley does not support the proposed cut in support funding.”