Elderly and disabled residents will be the hardest hit when the full impact of council cuts start to bite.

Brighton and Hove City Council must find £24 million of savings from its 2014/15 budget as the Government continues to squeeze its funding.

But a day before full plans are unveiled and details shared with staff, The Argus can exclusively reveal that a large burden will be borne by those caring for elderly and vulnerable adults.

Leaked documents show the 500-strong department will see its budget slashed in the coming year, with bosses warning care homes could close, support to people with learning disabilities could be cut, and dozens of members of staff – including disabled workers – could lose their jobs in the coming months.

And an internal memo seen by The Argus warns the worst is yet to come.

This is despite the Green-led administration committing to a 2% council tax rise – the maximum amount possible – for the coming years.

Council leaders last night remained quiet on the subject waiting instead for the full proposals to be revealed.

But unions warned it would lead to the breaking down of services as the general public knew it.

Mark Turner, of the GMB, said: “The impact is drastic. This is the start of the cuts and the start of bigger things.

“No doubt there will be some people more informed than others but I think the general public will not understand the full impact of this.”

Full details of how the council plans to find £24 million of savings are expected to be made public tomorrow.

However, despite details still not being finalised, documents show the adult social care department is already preparing to find £6 million in each of the next three years.

This is despite latest figures showing the service is already £2.6 million overspent for the current year.

According to documents seen by The Argus, the local authority believes 90% of its adult social care services are already being delivered at lower cost than the private and voluntary sector.

But, with bosses only having a say over £62 million, they warned the extra savings could see care homes close, other services farmed out to the private or voluntary sector and disabled workers made unemployed.

A message to staff admitted that every worker will be affected as a “period of potential concern and uncertainty” begins.

Alex Knutsen, of Brighton and Hove Unison, said: “This is the worst situation the council has been in.

“We were taking two per cent cuts before this Government came in and since then it has got worse.

“It’s certainly far worse than anything under Thatcher or in the 90s when similar cuts came in.

“Backroom staff numbers have already been cut to the bone.

“I cannot see any way in which frontline services will not be affected.”

The full budget plans are expected to include reductions across the local authority, taking in everything from children’s care to rubbish collections, upkeep of parks and parking charges.

Unions said they believe up to 150 posts could be scrapped in the proposal, some of which are already vacant.

Details on some of the budget plans are expected to be revealed by the Green administration tomorrow.

The Conservative group has already said it will oppose the council tax rise but Labour has said it will wait for the details before declaring a stance.

The council was last night unavailable for comment.

THE CUTS

The full extent of the cuts to Brighton and Hove City Council has been revealed in an internal memo leaked to The Argus.

Written by Denise D’Souza, the council’s executive director of adult social care it states that £6 million will have to be found out of its budget.

Among the areas affected will be: LEARNING DISABILITY ACCOMMODATION SERVICES Costing £4.6 million to run a year, the council wants to save £300,000 from this service in 2014/15.

The aim is to do this gradually over five years by reducing the number of buildings and services the council provides with only those with the highest needs receiving care.

Council bosses warn it could see some people’s care ending, while others would be looked after by the voluntary or private sector.

ABLE AND WILLING

The council-owned company provides work for people with disabilities.

A social enterprise, the warehouse produces services such as embroidery, printing and packaging.

But the centre on the Knoll Business Park in Old Shoreham Road, Hove, could be at risk of closing as the local authority considers withdrawing its £250,000 a year subsidy.

OLDER PEOPLE’S RESOURCES CENTRE

Costing £4.9 million a year to run, this provides activities for older people in the city.

The local authority has earmarked £300,000 savings from the service in 2014/15.

The council hopes this will be paid for by the local NHS.

However, it warns if no money is available then it will have to consider cutting back on what it provides.

DAY CARE

The council spends £2 million a year on providing day care for the elderly, older people with mental health needs and adults with disabilities.

Large savings have already been made in this service – £400,000 this year – by “personalising” care and asking what services they want provided.

But, as it looks to find a further £300,000, the council is considering reducing care to those with the highest needs while closing some buildings.

COUNCIL STAFF

The council believes it can find £50,000 by moving workers from its centre in Denmark Villas to its King’s House headquarters.

SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT

The council currently spends £223,000 a year helping those with disabilities into work.

However the local authority is proposing to end this service, claiming it is “non- statutory”.

HOME CARE

About £4.4 million a year is spent on caring for people in their own homes.

As it looks to find £150,000, the council will cut its night-time care, although it vowed it will maintain a “service of last resort”.

The local authority also proposes handing over control of the New Larchwood extra care facility in Coldean to the independent sector.

More details are expected to go before councillors in January.

THE BUDGET

Brighton and Hove City Council sets the budget every year to pay for the delivery of more than 800 services in the city, spending £774 million in total.

About 40% of that budget (£314 million) comes from Government grants for schools and housing benefit and £50 million, or 6%, comes from housing rents for council housing.

The remaining funding is made up of 13% from council tax, 18% from other Government grants, 5% from business rates, 16% from fees, charges and commercial rents, and the remaining 2% from investment income and reserves.

How the money was spent this year:

- £24 million keeping the streets clean, collecting and disposing of refuse and providing a recycling service.

- £33 million on transport, including street lighting and maintaining the roads as well as free bus travefor older and disabled people.

- £122 million on adult social care.

- £67m on other services for children. From this total budget, the local authority must find about £24 million of savings for 2014/15.

This is despite it finding £60 million of savings over the last three years.

The full budget papers are expected to be released publicly on Friday.

They will then be discussed by councillors at the local authority’s policy and resources committee on December 5 at Hove Town Hall at 4pm.

A month-long consultation period will then run, with interested parties invited to give evidence to the council’s scrutiny committee.

A final decision will be taken by all 54 councillors at a special budget meeting on February 27 in Brighton Town Hall.