Moves to scrap council projects across Shropshire in a bid to save more than £30 million will cause a “lot of misery for a lot of people” it was claimed today.

The concern about the proposed cuts was voiced by Geoff Forgie, who is a leading campaigner for the disabled. The capital programme hit-list being presented to the Shropshire Council cabinet next week.

It includes a proposal from officers to reduce by £2.4 million over the next four years the “top-up” made to the Disabled Facilities Grant received from Government.

Mr Forgie, chairman of the Shropshire Disability Network but expressing a personal view, said: “These cuts are going to cause a lot of misery for a lot of people, and not just the disabled.

“As a disabled individual I am deeply concerned over the proposed cuts, and particularly the Disabled Facilities Grant.

“The cuts will mean, for example, that a disabled person unable to go upstairs, will need facilities downstairs such as a shower or bath, but without the help of a grant what will they do?

“In this current climate, moving is not an option.”

Plans to reduce spending on the structural maintenance of secondary roads has led to concern being expressed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

A RoSPA spokeswoman said maintaining roads was important from a road safety point of view, particularly for vulnerable users such as motorcyclists and cyclists.

She said it was unrealistic that road safety would be immune from budget cuts but it was crucial that road maintenance was not cut severely and that the council focussed on priority areas.

Council leader Keith Barrow has stressed millions of pounds will still be ploughed into county projects.

Capital spending will amount to almost £95 million in this current financial year and just over £171 million from 2011/12 to 2014/15.

Councillor Barrow said it would be a “tough” decision to scrap the 50 schemes from the capital programme but the council had little choice in the face of unprecedented Government cutbacks.

Labour opposition leader, Alan Mosley, said yesterday a “new dawn” had broken in Shropshire and people could see for the first time the devastating impact of cuts.

By Dave Morris