ELDERLY people living in their own homes are being "squeezed for cash" and Harwich youngsters are in need of free meals in the holidays in the wake of cuts that are hitting the most vulnerable in communities, it has been claimed.

Harwich's county councillor Ivan Henderson has hit out at the Essex County Council budget proposal, discussed at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

He said: "At the meeting I was asking questions and raising concerns about another £60m worth of savings, which I call cuts.

"Of that £29m is from adult social care, that is on top of £30m last year.

"We got that figure by asking for a breakdown of the £60m savings.

"They have means tested adults in social care and they are putting pressure on our elderly people who are living in their own homes by raising their charges.

"They said with these savings they are doing the right thing and protecting vulnerable children but how can they be doing that when you8 have already cut youth services and closed children's centres - I don't think they could have made more cuts there.

"I'm hoping the hunger holidays project, started in Colchester, will be able to be extended into Harwich, which gives children a free meal in the holidays like they would get at school as they are going without meals in the holidays.

"We have Winter Warmers in Harwich and foodbanks.

"We are seeing out vulnerable people suffering."

Mr Henderson also hit out at the council's financial overview report, which said the council needs to look at more ways to work with the voluntary sector to "ensure essential services can be provided with significantly reduced funding".

He added: "They are saying they don't have the money so they are putting more pressure on voluntary groups to step in and fill the gap.

"But they are already squeezed to the limits."

Mr Henderson welcomed a planned £750,000 for devolution of highways duties from county hall to parish councils and placed the blame for local cuts on the Goverment.

He said: "The Government has reduced their grant by £214m per year since 2013/14 - they are talking about a black hole by 2021/22 by £100m in local government finance.

"They say they are facing challenges but I say it's a financial crisis."

The Essex County Council budget proposal includes increasing it's portion of the council tax bill by 3.99per cent with a headline capital investment of just under £250m for homes, schools and roads in the coming year.

The proposal is set to go before full council on February 12.