The dignity of elderly people is being lost because of a lack of spending on social care for elderly people, charity bosses have said.

The charity Age UK this week published a report called Care In Crisis, which said councils have only budgeted for �7.3bn for social care in the face of substantial reductions in central government funding.

And Phil Wells, chief executive of Age UK Norwich, said it was time to work out a way to support the next generation of elderly people.

He said: 'We, as a community in Norfolk, have got to get together and find out what is the best way of supporting the people who need help.

'There's a need to treat people as human beings. There's not enough space in the system to enable people to be cared for as people.

'Too often, care workers, who are pretty poorly paid, are not able to treat people with dignity.

'It is just a task they are expected to fulfil before they are sent to somebody else.'

Age UK Norfolk and Age UK Norwich have launched a Cut Cake Not Care Campaign, backed by the EDP, which they hope will persuade Norfolk County Council to think again about its proposals to reduce preventative care service funding by �11m in the next two years.