Controversial plans to cut £200,000 from the county’s Meals on Wheels service have been scrapped to allow a full review to be carried out.

But campaigners today said the move still did not go far enough in protecting a “vital service” for elderly and housebound people.

And they accuse Shirehall leaders of failing to grasp the major issue behind the row – that replacing the daily hot meal with a proposed fortnightly delivery of frozen food did not constitute Meals on Wheels.

The council yesterday agreed to cover the £200,000 saving it was looking to make by taking money from its contingency fund which is set aside for pay awards.

A review of the Meals on Wheels service will continue and will consider how many people need meals or other support and what savings can be made.

Council leader Keith Barrow told councillors: “I would like to go on record and make it clear, that Meals on Wheels is not being cut by this council and will not be cut.”

But the Shropshire Association of Senior Citizen Forums, which has been at the forefront of the fight to safeguard the service, fears the review will be undertaken behind “closed doors” and will accept the concept of Meals on Wheels being batches of frozen food delivered on a periodic basis.

Instead it wants the review carried out by a special task group.

Association chairman, John Dodson, said today: “A task and finish group would hopefully start without any pre-conceived ideas of what Meals on Wheels should be, in order to respect the safety and social element of the delivery service.

“The iconic Meals on Wheels service is not supplying a pack of frozen meals periodically in a van with four wheels and the sooner that myth is laid to rest the better.”

Mr Dodson said that no undertaking was given yesterday to continue supplying hot meals until the review was complete.

“One wonders if this is because current contracts are coming to an end and new contracts for the supply of frozen meals have already been negotiated,” he said.

By Dave Morris