County council proposals to cut youth counselling services have been criticised as "ignorant" and "ill-informed" by a counselling manager who fears vulnerable young people who are “already on the edge” will have nowhere to turn after September.

In a bid to find £16 million of savings, Bucks County Council’s budget proposals for 2016/17 include plans to stop its support for the service.

Melanie Williams, counselling manager for Time to Talk Bucks, a consortium of agencies including Youth Enquiry Service (YES) in High Wycombe and Way In, Chesham, said they had previously thought the cash would continue for at least two more years.

Ms Williams now thinks vulnerable young people could be put at risk if funding is axed and that BCC are being “dismissive of the implications of the cuts.”

She said: “Our service is already frighteningly under resourced and now a complete cut of our budget leaves me concerned that without a quick solution there could be devastating consequences.

“Many budgets are being cut and whilst I am relieved that this is not a delivery or performance based decision it shows an ill-informed, if not completely ignorant response to the provision of a mental health service.

“This decision leads me to question whether Bucks County Council know anything about mental health provision, the consequences of cutting our service could make the difference between life and death for many of the young people that we see who have nowhere else to go.”

An independent committee tasked with scrutinising the plans has recommended the council looks for alternative ways of delivering the counselling service without cutting it completely, such as reducing the number of paid staff or joint funding the service with Oxford Health Trust.

But Ms Williams is now calling a “complete U-turn” on the plans as an interim solution to the funding crisis.

A County Council spokesman said: “The council faces some very difficult decisions to balance its budget this year. The Budget Scrutiny Select Committee has robustly challenged the current proposals including those for Youth Counselling.

“The Committee’s final report and recommendations will be considered by the Cabinet on February 15. Cabinet’s final budget recommendations will then go before full Council on February 18, when final decisions will be agreed.”

Other recommendations include reviewing the charging policies for all home to school transport users, looking at the potential of outsourcing adoption and fostering service and reviewing levels of agency and consultancy staff across the council to reduce costs.