FORTY-SIX jobs are under threat and day care centres could close as part of a cost-cutting drive.

Dorset County Council wants to close five day care centres offering services for older people, including Rawson Court in Gillingham, and close the centre in Swanage and merge it with Wareham.

Staffing levels would also be reviewed at other day care centres.

They also want to transfer Blandford day services for people with learning disabilities to Sturminster Newton and Verwood, and to review staff numbers at some day centres for people with learning disabilities.

The council's adult and community services directorate is facing a major budget shortfall and needs to save around £600,000 in day service provision.

Meetings to discuss the proposals are taking place in the next few days with centre users, carers and staff.

Council officials have stressed that everyone who requires day care will continue to receive it. Transport needs will also be taken into account.

If approved by councillors in early 2008, the first phase would increase the numbers of people using each centre by providing fewer centres and would come into effect in April 2008 at the earliest.

Steve Pitt, director for adult and community services, said: "Some centres have been operating well below capacity, often at half or two thirds full, and serve only small numbers of people.

"With demands for all of our services higher than ever and budgets increasingly stretched, they are no longer economically viable."

The consultations come as Dorset County Council is today considering Fit For The Future, their biggest ever change and efficiency programme.

The programme aims to modernise the way the county council works, create better systems including IT systems to reduce duplication, and streamline services to cut costs of services without cutting quality.

Chief executive David Jenkins said they intend to invest £16.4 million over three years and save £14.3 million from the current cost of providing services over three years.

He said: "By the end of the programme we will be making savings of at least £8.6 million a year. This will mean we can balance the budget and should also release funds for priority frontline services.

"In fact we will be pushing to make savings of £11 million a year.

"Reducing duplication and streamlining processes mean that some posts will become redundant over the three years of the programme.

"However, this does not necessarily mean large scale redundancies."

He said a number of posts would be lost through natural turnover and careful management of vacancies and they will work with the trades unions.