The way in which consultations on the changes have been handled has come under fire from Coun Peter Jackson, Leader of the County Council's Conservatives.

He was speaking after attending a public meeting on the changes held at Ponteland, where one of the threatened centres is situated.

A series of sessions is being held to seek people's views on a potential 'personalised support' approach to care which would see older people given personal budgets to help them live independently and choose from a range of social activities.

The scheme could lead to the closure of existing day centres at Amble, Bedlington, Blyth, Ponteland, Prudhoe, Hexham and Haltwhistle, which the Council says have declined in popularity.

Over the past three years the number of people booked to attend the centres has fallen by nine percent, despite the County's rapidly increasing elderly population.

Coun Jackson said public perception was that the change came about as a result of budget cuts by the County's Liberal Democrat Administration.

Rather than take difficult decisions about cutting central administration, it had had ducked the issue and gone for a series of service cuts, he claimed. "This is a cut which affects the most vulnerable people in Northumberland and if this is one service cut, we are worried about what happens next."

Coun Jackson said in their alternative budget proposals Conservatives had pledged to protect adult day care.

"What we really need to do is see what we need to provide for the vulnerable elderly people of Northumberland," he added. "It is their needs which should come first in this, and not just the finances of the County Council.

"The tone of this consultation has frightened many elderly people. They see the County Council closing these centres when they have not been promised anything in their place. They are worried that there won't be provision for them and they are unsure about their futures. They think it is a 'done deal' and we want to get away from that.

"We are looking at provision in the seven areas proposed for closure to make sure there are clear alternatives for these elderly people, but at the moment that is not at all clear."

Coun Jackson said that Conservatives had an 'open mind' on the issue. "But it would seem from the public meetings that there is still a clear need for day care in these seven communities," he added.

"We go along with the idea of elderly people having as much personal choice as possible, and we agree that they should have their own personal budgets and decide what kind of care they need, but it is clear that many, if not most of them, do have a requirement for day care."