TALK of making York an "age-friendly city" has come under fire from union leaders.

Unison, the public service union, has warned city councillors are in danger of being hypocritical as the plan coincides with controversial proposals to slash the home care budget for elderly people.

The union has called on City of York Council to halt the proposed cuts.

But Coun Ruth Potter, who tabled the "age-friendly", said it called on the council and agencies to consider the needs of older people who do not receive social care when planning services such as public transport, toilets and life-long learning.

She said the Older People's Assembly had asked her to raise the issue, as the council's older people's champion.

The motion will be considered at the next full council meeting.

At that same meeting, convenors of the York Unison branch will be lobbying councillors to review proposed cuts to the home care budget.

As reported, City of York Council officers have suggested reducing it by £316,000 next year, and by £950,000 in 2009-10 and 2010-11.

The quality of care will not be affected, according to the council. But Unison says such severe cuts would lead to 30 job losses and would heavily impact on care.

Ben Drake, branch secretary, who claimed clients would get either fewer or shorter appointments, said: "If the council wants an age-friendly city, they can't really do that at the same time as making a £900,000 cut in home care. The two don't go together."

He said: "As the proposed budget cut hasn't gone through, they are not yet in the position of having done anything hypocritical."

He said Unison will lobby the budget executive and councillors ahead of a final decision on February 21.

"The point was to create long-term stability of the service," he said. "Our members are fed-up with being messed around. They worked extremely hard dealing with this re-organisation. They want to be allowed to get on with their jobs."

Meanwhile, new research by the GMB union has shown City of York Council to be one of five local authorities employing no ethnic minorities holding high-earning posts.