A ComRes poll of the public has indicated that most people believe that funding for social care jobs and services should be protected from the cuts to public spending.

Only 1% of respondents believe that social care services for older people or vulnerable children should be targeted by cuts to public money. In the poll commissioned by the Local Government Association, NHS managers were the favourite target for savings to public money with 69% of respondents saying they believe they should face cuts above other areas. This was followed by the areas of funding for quangos and overseas aid.

62% of people said that they would prefer for decisions on cuts in their area to be made by local authorities and councillors. Only 18% of the public said that they backed MPs, whilst only two percent said that they would be happy if officials in quangos were to make such decisions.

Margaret Eaton, chairwoman of the LGA said that the survey made it "clear that the public want to see important front line services protected - but are willing to rein in the quango state and remove unnecessary tiers of middle management to bring the deficit down."

"We need nothing less than a transformation of the way the public sector works to deliver savings by giving power to the people who know their areas best."