COUNCIL bosses have approved the next phase of work on shaping the future of adult social care services in Bury.

Cabinet members have voted unanimously to proceed with developing a new organisation to deliver the services which provide fundamental support to people with disabilities, older people and carers.

This option, recommended by a detailed appraisal of choices and feedback from customers, carers and staff, is to develop an alternative service delivery model.

The other options under consideration were closure and privatisation, which members of Bury Council's cabinet dismissed.

The next stage to be tackled by council officials is to develop a detailed business plan of how the new organisation would operate.

Any proposal would then have to be agreed by councillors before a final decision was made.

Customers, carers and staff will receive regular updates throughout the next phase of development, council officers have said.

Councillor Rishi Shori, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “This is by no means the easy option. There is a lot of work to be done in the business planning phase but I am confident that we can make this happen.

"It gives the services a positive way forward in otherwise uncertain times and I think people will see that and commit to creating a new future.”

The shake-up of the way the council runs its adult social care services has been undertaken as part of the authority's overall bid to reduce costs in the wake of further cuts to its budget.