Elderly and vulnerable people could lose day centres and voluntary services if East Sussex councillors cut social services funding by £4.2 million.

At least 11 volunteer-run centres or services face the axe because East Sussex County Council needs to cut its budget.

The council said it has to reduce the social services budget because of overspending by the previous administration.

Grants could be withdrawn from almost a dozen schemes. The William Daly Centre in Polegate, which provides services and care for the elderly, faces losing out on £25,000 after June.

Staff at the Hastings Sheltered Workshop have also been warned they could have £68,000 of funding withdrawn after March.

The workshop was set up 16 years ago and provides art, craft and woodwork classes for people suffering from mental health problems.

Manager Peter Howard said: "We had got funding from the European Social Fund but to secure that we need matching funding from East Sussex County Council.

"We went to County Hall yesterday to put our case across.

"If we close I don't know what our 30 clients will do. The council will have to find them some alternative. We are their lifeline."

The decision on how many voluntary sector services are to be cut will be taken by lead cabinet member for social services Keith Glazier following a full council meeting.

Councillor Glazier said he was unwilling to say how many services could be affected and stressed no final decision had been reached.

He said: "We sent out letters to these services as an early warning. They are all proposals at the moment.

"What has happened here is the previous administration has spent all the reserves and not functioned within the budget and now we are having to balance it all out.

"It is not all bad news, though, because we have identified pressure points in social services such as bed blocking and will put in £4.4 million."

The cuts will be discussed at a cabinet meeting on January 31.

The decision is expected to be finalised at a meeting of the full county council on February 19.