The National Housing Federation has obtained support from 551 local councillors to a letter to The Times that urges local authorities to think again about cutting funding to vital services provided by charities for society’s most vulnerable people.

The councillors comprise 64 Conservatives, 145 Liberal Democrats, 225 Labour and 87 independents. The letter, from Federation chief executive David Orr, highlights threats to the government-funded Supporting People programme and states that “cutting services to the vulnerable does not make financial sense”.

The letter reads: “Supporting People provides vital help for more than a million of the most vulnerable in society – including older people, victims of domestic violence, and those at risk of homelessness – helping them to live more independently in their own homes.

“Despite the government’s insistence on protecting frontline services, this funding has suffered severe cuts as councils face pressure to reduce costs. Some local authorities have already announced that their Supporting People budgets will be slashed by 50 per cent.  Services under threat include outreach schemes for young homeless people, women’s refuges, money and debt advice, and home-based support for pensioners.”

Orr warns that without this support, vulnerable individuals will reach crisis point and eventually load costs onto health services, the criminal justice system and carers.

The letter concludes by urging all councils to protect the srvices for vulnerable people that are provided in their area.

The Times has also published a list of 50 services for vulnerable people that have already closed or are closing soon because of the reduction in their core funding from statutory budgets. They include mental health drop-in centres, anti-bullying advice programmes, libraries, welfare advice groups and training centres for the unemployed.