DUDLEY North MP Ian Austin has vowed to do everything he can to help Age UK Dudley in the wake of devastating funding cuts.

The charity, which supports the borough's over 50s, has taken a huge financial hit after both Dudley Council and the Big Lottery Fund withdrew funding.

Speaking at the charity's AGM on Monday, Mr Austin said: "Age UK do brilliant work for older people across the borough, not just by offering vital services such as day centres but by working to combat loneliness and isolation too.

“It’s terrible that government cutbacks have hit vital local services run by organisations like Age UK so hard.

“We have an ageing population so this work is set to become more and more important, so it’s heartbreaking to see people relying on organisations like Age UK are paying the price for a financial crisis they did nothing to cause."

The charity's Springboard centre, where older people could take part in activities including yoga, Zumba, drama sessions and art classes, relied on cash from the Big Lottery Fund to operate.

But as the charity failed to secure further funding, the centre, at The Waterfront, Brierley Hill, will close at the end of the year.

As a result of Dudley Council cuts, the charity has lost the £308,000 that funded its day centres in Brierley Hill and Sedgley, the information and advice service it provided five days a week, its garden maintenance scheme, the Stay Safe home assessment scheme and the Good Neighbour Scheme - a befriending project that supports 170 people.

Mr Austin told the News that he had written to both the Big Lottery Fund and Dudley Council, urging them to continue the financial support, adding: "A third of today's toddlers are expected to live to the age of 100, so people are going to rely on the services Age UK Dudley provide more and more in the future.

"The Springboard project helps to keep people active, which helps to prevent health problems that could cost the NHS in the future. Other services help people to live independently in their own home, these services should be seen as a contribution to our community. It's a cut but it's not a saving, it'll cost more in the long term."

He concluded: "I’ll be calling on the government to step in to help these vital local services and I'll do anything I can to support any alternative funding applications.”