DORSET County Council has been slammed for excluding the west in a public consultation over day services.

It has launched a three-month consultation as it attempts to find savings of £600,000 from its in-house day services budget.

Three main options will be put to the public and people who use Dorset’s day centres at six community meetings around the county.

The community meeting for the west of its area will be held in Dorchester Baptist Church on Monday, October 3 at 7pm.

But the council has been criticised for not scheduling meetings further west in the county for people who live in areas including Bridport and Lyme Regis.

Charmouth widow Christine Cook, 64, has been attending Chancery House Day Centre for nine years.

She has written to West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin and to Downing Street with her concerns about the future of day services but is unable to get to the Dorchester meeting.

Mrs Cook said: “I don’t even know where the Baptist church is in Dorchester. It would be very difficult for me to get there but I would like to.

“I would have to take the bus but I couldn’t get back because the last bus is at 8pm.

“I’ve been ill so I can’t really get out.

“The majority of people who go to the day centre are fairly fit but there are some there that really wouldn’t be able to get there.”

The council said a letter has been sent to people who use the centres, informing them of the consultations that are taking place in each centre.

Service users and other interested parties have until October 24 to give their views before councillors are expected to make a final decision by the end of the year.

Options include closing centres or reducing services, setting up a council owned business to run them or transferring them to a charity or business.

Bridport county councillor Karl Wallace said he would put pressure on the authority to bring the consultation further west.

A council spokesman said the authority has contacted service users and carers directly affected by the proposed changes and invited them to take part in the consultation.

She said: “Access Dorset, an umbrella charity for numerous disabled and older people’s organisations across the county, is visiting each of the 24 day centres in Dorset to explain the options to disabled people, older people and their carers and to find out what they think.”

She added: “The charity, People First Dorset, is also helping with the consultation to ensure the options are clearly explained to people with learning disabilities.”

The council said meetings were scheduled in the early evenings to give people who work an opportunity to attend.

She added that the council was also encouraging people to fill in questionnaires.

More information can be found at the website dorsetforyou.com/dayservicesconsultations