DISABLED people, carers and care workers are to stage a protest against Government funding cuts outside a council meeting in York this week.

The group plan to voice their anger against reductions in services for the disabled in the city outside the Mansion House in St Helen’s Square before a full meeting of City of York Council on Thursday.

The protesters are calling on York’s two MPs, Hugh Bayley and Julian Sturdy, to oppose the cuts in Parliament, having presented a petition containing more than 1,400 signatures at a meeting in February at which the council’s 2011/12 budget, affected by falling levels of funding from Westminster, was set.

Mental health campaigner Ceri Owen, said: “I’ve already seen friends go into hospital because their support has been cut. This doesn’t save money, it just pushes much higher costs on to the NHS.