FURIOUS councillors have clashed over controversial adult care cuts in Worcestershire - calling it "shocking and distressing".

Calls are being made to re-think proposals to potentially shut four day care centres and outsource a project placing vulnerable people with members of the public.

As your Worcester News revealed in July, bosses at Worcestershire County Council want to hive off the Shared Lives scheme, which costs £200,000 a year to run in-house.

It places vulnerable adults with families prepared to look after them, and in 2013 helped 102 people.

The council also wants to save £800,000 by finding alternative day care venues for people attending Timberdine Nursing in Worcester, Howbury in Malvern, The Grange in Kidderminster and Smallwood Lodge in Redditch.

A decision on the centres will be made in June 2015, in the hope other facilities can be found.

Some 26 jobs are at risk with both services, with councillors calling it "incredibly worrying."

Liberal Councillor Fran Oborski, speaking during a full council meeting today, said: "What is going to happen to elderly people whose circumstances change between now and June 2015 who may need these services?

"My reading of this report is that they'll be offered nothing, which can't be the case."

Councillor Paul Denham, from Labour, said: "I'm particularly concerned about the Timberdine service which treats people with dementia.

"What is going to happen to its people? How can we even do a consultation when we don't know how many people will even get dementia between now and then."

Councillor Richard Udall lambasted it as "shocking" and "incredibly worrying" before the Tory leadership defended the proposals.

Councillor Sheila Blagg, cabinet member for adult health, is under pressure to save £32 million by 2017 from her budgets.

"This is about opening up a market which is already very open," she said.

"In every one of these areas, there are already external providers out there - 85 per cent of our adult care services are provided externally.

"This is exploratory at the moment, no decisions have been made and we are not going to pre-determine anything.

"We want to provide more choice and offer more alternatives."

Usage of the day centres have been falling steadily for several years - on a typical day the Worcester facility has 17 visitors.

The Malvern centre is visited by two people daily, while the Kidderminster one averages 22.

All new admissions have been suspended, with the council saying it intends to start “a 12-month transition period” to find all the visitors alternative care providers in the county.

Of the four, the rehabilitation services at The Grange and Howbury would remain in operation under the proposal.

Alternatively, they could be handed to a new provider to run if one comes forward, but no decisions will be made until next summer.