PROPOSALS to slash key services for children and the elderly have been rejected by Swindon Council.

Instead the council's cabinet has decided to accept the social services department will go £800,000 over budget this year and try to make good the deficit in future budgets.

Council officers have reported that the only way the department could balance this year's books would be by cutting services such as nursing care for the elderly, payments to foster families and specialist facilities for difficult children.

Councillors last night decided this was not a price worth paying.

But Conservative group leader Coun Mike Bawden (Old Town and Lawns, Con) questioned whether it was realistic to expect the council to make savings on future budgets.

He said the Government was failing to provide enough funding for social services departments around the country.

And he called for a cross-party delegation to meet both Swindon's MPs and ask them to bring pressure to bear on the Government to provide more money.

Council leader Kevin Small (Lab, Western) agreed with the motion and it was carried unanimously.

He said: "We have got problems in social services.

"Inspectors have indicated that we were not spending money in the most efficient and effective way possible.

"That's a problem for Swindon Borough Council, both officers and members. We still have a major funding problem with social services in terms of the money allocated from central government.

"It's a problem which affects just about every social services department in the country.

"I don't think any of us has any confidence that we will have sufficient money in future years to mend the situation.

"We are pushing into the medium term the financial problems that we have got this year."

Coun Small said he was confident that recent management changes at social services will help the department get back in the black.

He said: "Difficult decisions will have to be made over the next 18 months.

"But this gives some breathing space for the department and its improved management to turn things around."