VITAL help for domestic abuse sufferers, the homeless, drug and alcohol addicts and community safety is facing shock cuts - with council chiefs claiming Worcestershire has been "unfairly treated".

Unwanted, bombshell cuts are having to be made to a raft of key services for keeping people safe - with an unhappy Worcestershire County Council Conservative leadership criticising the Government for taking it too far.

Domestic abuse experts in the county have told your Worcester News "more victims will be in danger" after bosses at County Hall reluctantly revealed the proposals for surprise savings.

Your Worcester News can today reveal how Chancellor George Osborne ordered councils to find sudden savings to key public health money during his summer Budget - but for some reason Worcestershire's target is nearly double the average figure.

County Hall was promised a £26.5 million kitty for public health initiatives for 2015/16, most of which goes to the likes of rape clinics, addiction centres, the police and district councils to keep people safe.

But Worcestershire is now facing up to a 12 per cent cut, of around £3.3 million, despite other comparable councils being asked to slash around seven per cent.

The reduction kicks in now, which means savings are needed immediately, but the council has decided to raid its reserve kitty to keep things going as much as possible because many providers are under contract until next spring.

But council chiefs are now reluctantly having to draw up proposals to make those cuts next year - saying they have no other option.

The proposed reductions include:

- Ten per cent off the £463,000 spent towards domestic abuse support, which already suffered a 53 per cent reduction last year, despite having a life-saving hotline swamped by 3,200 callers a year

- A 10 per cent cut in the £4.3 million spent on drug and alcohol services

- Scrapping the entire £100,000 sunk into community safety work, most of which goes to the police

- Ten per cent off the £4.2 million spent on sexual health, 10 per cent from the £2 million on school nurses and 10 per cent off the £1 million on child development services

- Axing the entire £95,000 spent on homelessness services, cutting £1 million on key health priorities including obesity, ending the entire £960,000 spent on mental health and 10 per cent off the £1.1 million spent on housing advice for vulnerable adults

The council's Tory cabinet now says it is going to write to all six county MPs to complain about the reductions, saying they are unhappy about it.

They are also keen to stress that the cuts are only proposals at this stage, and want talks with providers across Worcestershire before finalising anything.

Mr Osborne has reduced a £2 billion public health kitty by £200 million nationwide.

Councillor Marcus Hart, the cabinet member for health, said today: "I must say it is exceptionally difficult for any authority to manage funding reductions in-year.

"I must be clear, these are initial proposals and over the next few months I'd want to engage with all our service providers - this is not of our own making.

"It's most unfortunate and I do intend to write to all our MPs to lobby them on this matter."

Councillor Adrian Hardman, the leader, said comparable counties like Somerset are facing a £1.5 million, 7.5 per cent reduction, around half of Worcestershire's figure.

"It does seem the county has been treated quite harshly compared to other authorities," he said. "We must question why."

Councillor Sheila Blagg, the cabinet member for adult social care, said: "This is a very unwelcome surprise - I would go as far as saying it's a shock."

THIS WILL DAMAGE US, SAYS DOMESTIC ABUSE HELP CENTRE

ONE of the services in the firing line is the West Mercia Women's Aid centre, which helps those suffering abuse.

The service is already reeling from a 53 per cent reduction in funding 12 weeks ago, after last year's £900,000 hand-down was reduced to just £463,000 - and now it could lose another 10 per cent next April.

Those cuts meant a team of nine outreach workers reduced to just three, and follows a rapid rise in demand which saw 3,200 callers swamp its special abuse hotline last year, a 77 per cent rise.

Jan Frances, who runs the body, said: "We have already sustained a significant cut and now we are looking at another.

"When you cut services like this, it will expose more victims to danger and abuse."

Elsewhere, West Mercia Police is facing losing the £100,000 towards community safety projects.

The fund helps pay for all kinds of events which help community cohesion, with deputy police and crime commissioner Barrie Sheldon saying: "We realise the county council has some difficult financial challenges to meet at the moment, much like the police and many other public bodies.

"We have a very good relationship with all our local authorities, and we will keep working in partnership with them to find ways of meeting these financial challenges, whilst delivering the best possible services to the public and local communities.