ANTI-CUTS campaigners have made a plea for York’s politicians to ensure the funding fears of vulnerable people in the city are voiced in Parliament.

Disabled people, carers and care workers gathered outside the Mansion House ahead of a full meeting of City of York Council last night to voice their anger at Government spending reductions which they claim will leave many residents isolated and at risk.

They called on councillors to ask York MPs Hugh Bayley and Julian Sturdy to raise the “unfair and unsound” cuts to areas such as the city’s Supporting People grant and some care services in the House of Commons, claiming disabled and vulnerable people will be “disproportionately affected”.

The campaigners submitted a petition on the issue containing 1,400 signatures at a February meeting when the council’s 2011/12 budget, earmarking £21 million in savings, was decided and which also saw an angry table-top protest in the Guildhall.

But there was no repeat of those scenes amid a peaceful demonstration at the final meeting of the full authority before next month’s local elections, with mental health campaigner Ceri Owen telling councillors: “Despite your best efforts, it has not been possible to prevent cuts to services for vulnerable people, and that is why you have to tell our MPs that this is not right.”

Campaigner Stephen Bentley told the meeting: “These are not optional extras, but cuts which will put people over the edge.”

Acomb councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing said: “Constantly chipping away at these services is not only detrimental to those who need them, but carries a financial and emotional cost when they do not receive them.”

But Coun Jonathan Morley, executive member for health and adult social services, said the measures surrounding social care outlined in the budget had not led to mainstream services being hit and had “minimised the impact on vulnerable people”.

And council leader Andrew Waller said the council’s spending on adult social care in 2011/12 would be “virtually the same amount” as last year, saying: “If there are specific services which people are not getting, we need to know about that so we can work out what can be done within the budget.”

The petition will now be referred to the council’s executive to decide on any further action.