The chairman of Essex County Council has said his champagne reception would go ahead despite calls to cut the bash's budget and plough the money into the meals on wheels service.

The gathering is being held at Cressing Temple, near Witham, on July 14 and is being hosted by Joe Pike, chairman of Essex County Council and Conservative member for Halstead.

Speaking in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Question Time on Wednesday, MP Angela Smith blasted the Tory-controlled council for thinking about changing the service which is a vital lifeline for hundreds of elderly and infirm people across Basildon, Castle Point, Rayleigh and Rochford.

The Basildon Labour MP asked Prime Minister Tony Blair: "Would you suggest to Essex County Council that it does have responsibilities, even though it is Tory led, to put the needs of the vulnerable first?

"Might it cut the budget for its chairman's champagne reception before it cuts pensioners' meals?"

Mrs Smith is tabling an Early Day Motion against changes to meals on wheels which has the support of Essex Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs, including Colchester's Bob Russell.

Mr Pike said the reception, to which Angela Smith had been invited, was costing around £4,000 to hold.

Essex County Council spends £1.743 million a year on the 800,000 hot meals which are delivered across the county.

Around 2,000 people receive them every day and the cost for each meal is £1.60. One proposal is for hot meals to be replaced by frozen dinners, delivered fortnightly - a plan being fought by pressure groups and the Echo.

Mr Pike said: "The problem with the Labour Government is that it thrives on soundbites.

"Mrs Smith is part of the Government which is asking us to carry out the best value process so if it wants to, it could change the law.

"She has been invited to the reception and I hope she will be coming. It's not a champagne reception but a chance for people from all over the Eastern region to increase their knowledge of Essex."

Clark reminds council of obligation

Conservative MP Dr Michael Clark has said he would not like to see the meals on wheels service disappear.

Dr Clark, who represents Rayleigh, said: "I sympathise with the county council, but I would not like to see frozen meals.

"The county council has an enormous obligation to help the disabled, to provide carers and provide day nurses and day centres.

"These are all things it has to do as well as schools and social services."

Dr Clark said it was very difficult to balance budgets at local, county and Government levels and whatever gets taken away will affect some people.

He added: "The county council has got to think of ways to stay within its budget. I'm not condemning what it's doing but I'm not condoning frozen meals.

"I'm disappointed it's having to contemplate frozen meals on wheels."

'Reports are misleading'

Essex County Council today said reports that the meals on wheels service is changing have been confusing the public.

Elizabeth Dines, Conservative county councillor for Maldon and executive member in charge of the county's portfolio for health and social services, said stories had been "totally and utterly misleading".

She said the county council was not looking for budget cuts but carrying out a review for the service under the Government's legislation on best value.

Mrs Dines said: "We are looking at how we provide the services and if they could be made better. They might not even change at all.

"The review is involving everybody associated with meals on wheels and we have had three meetings at County Hall involving people from the voluntary groups who deliver the meals, the cooks and administrators.

"A consultant is compiling a report and will come back to us with his findings towards the middle to end of July.

"There are no proposals for spending less and there is no desire to cut the budget."

She added that Angela Smith MP was playing party politics with the elderly.

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