WILTSHIRE'S image of a county where prosperity abounds hides a community in crisis, say county council officers who are trying to cope with providing services without enough funds.

The Standard Spending Assessment (SSA), which calculates how much money local authorities receive from the government, is stacked in favour of inner cities and large metropolitan authorities.

The county council argues that Wiltshire's rural nature is not taken into account.

Care workers who visit vulnerable and elderly people in their own homes in urban areas can undertake 10 appointments in a day. In Wiltshire, the geography means the same care worker could only make three visits.

The council has to pay much more to transport pupils to and from schools because of the rural nature of the county.

While there has been an increase in the SSA given to the county council in previous years it has not matched the demand on the county's services.

For this financial year, the average funding per head of population for shire counties is £479, but Wiltshire is well below this figure.

The average spent in Wiltshire is £431, a difference of £48.

Council officers say education, social services and transport have all suffered and are continuing to suffer.

Out of 34 shire counties, Wiltshire has the eighth lowest spending on education.

Chief education officer Bob Wolfson said: "We are aware that there is a significant number of schools in the county who need more support for pupils with special educational needs."

While government money has lowered class sizes to no more than 30 pupils for four to seven-year-olds, in Wiltshire one in three pupils aged eight to 11 are in classes of 30 or more.

Libraries have escaped cuts in opening hours, but spending on replacing books is at a lower level than the national average.

The growing number of elderly people who are living longer has created a crisis for social services.

This year there has been a 2.2 per cent increase in the 65-74 age group, a 4.1 per cent increase in the 74-85 age group and a 2.3 per cent rise in over-85s.

Despite increasing charges for some of its services in recent years, social services is facing a £1.5 million overspend this year.

At present 145 people are waiting for funding from social services to go into a residential or nursing home and 99 of those are in hospital beds, preventing admissions of other people needing hospital care.

The council is now waiting for two people to leave a care home before it admits one new resident.

Dr Ray Jones, director of social services, said: "In the absence of more money coming in next year, we will have to look at reducing our expenditure with more rationing of services."

Wiltshire spends less than surrounding county councils on maintaining roads because it concentrates on supporting education and social services.

This has led to a £58million backlog of road schemes, and the delay in undertaking minor work leads to even greater deterioration and ultimately a greater cost.