DORSET has suffered some of the worst cuts in the South West on a crucial grant for vulnerable people.

The Government has cut the Supporting People Grant by 44 per cent in Bournemouth, by 16 per cent in Poole, and six per cent in Dorset.

That gives them the worst, fourth worst, and fifth worst settlements out of 15 councils in the region.

Plymouth actually had a 30 per cent increase, and Somerset a 23 per cent increase.

The money goes to service providers who work on housing problems for ex-offenders, the elderly, disabled, and mentally ill, and for drug addicts and homeless people.

Bournemouth Councillor Ron Whittaker said: “How did they arrive at these figures? That’s the baffling part.”

Poole Council is trying to agree efficiency savings with service providers over its own cut of £680,000 and said careful planning will minimise the effects.

However Mike Brooke, leader of Poole’s Liberal Democrat group, said: “At the end of the day, we are going to be seeing cuts to services.” Lynn Foster, from Parkstone based Christian homeless charity Routes to Roots, which gets funding for a carer, said: “It will profoundly effect our charity if our contract is cut.”

Dorset County council’s budget helps 7,387 people and it has lost £600,000 from its grant.

It said all the service providers will get their contracts extended for a year but face cuts in their settlements.

Bournemouth Council recently plugged its own £4.2m spending gap for the year with money mainly from reserves.