EMERGENCY plans to close the Age Concern Information Centre in Okehampton have been drawn up, following a crisis in funding.

Chief officer of Age Concern in Okehampton, the Rev Barrie Duke, said a planned withdrawal of support by Social Services and massive cuts in funding for day care in West Devon announced last month had forced the move.

The information centre is open six days a week in the Arcade, offering a wide variety of advice and help to elderly people and their carers.

Mr Duke said decreasing donations and increased transport costs in the wake of the foot and mouth crisis meant Age Concern was having to find an extra £3,000 a month to maintain its services.

He said the information centre was likely to close in mid-February.

Mr Duke said: 'I find it a complete mystery how county councillors meeting in Exeter are able to make informed decisions regarding the welfare and safety of older people whom they never meet.'

He said councillors appear to rely on district managers for information, who in turn rely on their adult services managers, who only have slight practical contact with the work of Age Concern.

Mr Duke said the six drop-in Centres run by Age Concern at Halwill Junction, Hatherleigh, Okehampton, North Tawton, Whiddon Down and Chagford were only just managing to survive.

'I may have to close one or two centres unless we find some emergency funding,' he said.

'This time last year we were able to draw on reserves — but now the cupboard is completely bare.'

And Mr Duke said Okehampton Age Concern was calling for a survey of need to be undertaken, in order to ascertain the effects of the county council's funding cuts on older people.

Without Age Concern drop-in centres, he said many elderly people in isolated areas could be effectively imprisoned in their own homes and denied human contact for long periods.

'Some of them only get out once a week, to one of our centres. It's something we often hear — "I shall be stuck at home now".

'It's all very well just saying "We are going to cut funding", but nobody has looked to see what the implications are — they need to be aware of what hardships they may be causing,' he said.

West Devon and Torridge MP John Burnett said the cuts were 'totally unacceptable' and paid tribute to the 'sterling work' carried out by Age Concern over the years.

He was due to meet Devon County Council officials today (Thursday) to be briefed on the cuts, when he would be making the 'strongest possible' case for the continuation of all services provided by Age Concern.

'A spokesman for Devon Social Services said: 'We recognise the very valuable work of groups such as Age Concern, but the fact is that we can no longer protect the voluntary sector from the wider budget pressures within Social Services.

'We have been left with some very stark choices and it is with the greatest reluctance that we are seeking to find savings from groups right across the county.

'These actions are designed to protect services to those in greatest need, but we do not attempt to hide the fact that these measures may cause pain to many people.'

He said the cut in advice services would be partly offset by the introduction of 'Care Direct' in Devon. This new free telephone advice service for older people and their carers is available on 0800 444000.