THEY are among the most vulnerable in our community.

The old and those in need of support through disability must surely rate among the highest priorities for any authority when choosing how to spend its resources.

Yet, as this paper reports today, it is members of this group that now find themselves the target of cost-cutting by Southampton City Council.

In a bid to shave £900,000 from a budget that needs to find some £30m in cuts, the council is proposing closing a care centre, a respite centre and reducing day services for those with learning disabilities.

At last night’s council meeting to discuss the issue councillors found themselves facing tough questions from carers.

Their suggestion that some of the litigation for the proposals was to improve services met with sharp comments. But to be fair, calling for more not less money to be spent at such a time, a theme from some present, was also out of touch.

The question at the heart of the debate is what else could be sacrificed if these cutbacks are unacceptable?

It is for those in authority to weigh up such thoughts and offer the electorate an alternative.