A STOURBRIDGE charity which helps the elderly has been dealt another devastating blow after losing all of its funding from Dudley Council.

After being told they would lose their local authority grant from April 1, bosses at Stourbridge and Halesowen Age Concern were already bracing themselves for tough times ahead.

But now they say the council has added "insult to injury' by asking for £15,400 rent for the building they part-occupy in Hagley Road, Oldswinford, which is managed by the local authority on behalf of the Ernest Stevens Trust.

Age Concern, which runs activities and services for people over 50 from across the borough, has been operating its day centre from the Mary Stevens Centre since maternity services transferred from what was the Mary Stevens Maternity Home to the then Wordsley Hospital.

Fred Hunt, chairman of the charity and a former chairman of the Mary Stevens Trust, said: "Mary Stevens Maternity Home was given by Ernest Stevens in memory of his wife to the people of Stourbridge. "When the maternity service moved to Wordsley, the family were consulted and delighted that Age Concern was going to use the building to help and support the elderly people in the area.

“The elected councillors should hang their heads in shame. Do they no longer care about the elderly and lonely older people that they are supposed to represent?”

He said charity bosses and volunteers would do their best to maintain the service but added: “It’s not going to be easy.”

Dionne Legge, chief officer for Age Concern Stourbridge and Halesowen, said: "We've been forced to increase day care charges from £9.50 to £15 and meal prices at the Elton Centre. We're just trying to keep ticking over as best we can.

"We're still offering everything at Elton Centre and we're still open seven days a week but we have started a serious review on everything to see where we can save money."

She said Age Concern has been able to use the Mary Stevens Centre for free for many years and she acknowledges the council is also short of cash but she said: "These charges are really going to be a big kick in the teeth. It's disappointing. It's going to be really difficult to meet these bills."

Mental health charity Dudley Mind, the Beacon Centre for the blind and Mary Stevens Hospice, which also rent rooms at the Mary Stevens Centre, are also expected to be affected by the charges but Dionne added: "We've got the worst bill as we've got the biggest rooms - it's done on square footage."

Alan Lunt, Dudley's strategic director for place, said the council was currently in talks with Age Concern about the terms of the lease and he added: “We recognise the valuable work groups such as this do in our community.

“Generally, in cases like this the council seeks a market rent. But it would be set with a view to granting back the payments based upon the work the charity does in the community.

“In this particular case, negotiations are still in progress so it would be unfair to comment further at this time.”