A CASH injection of almost £1.6 million will be needed over the next 12 months to meet the growing demands of Herefordshire's ageing population.

One of the key problems facing Herefordshire Council is finding cash to help care for the elderly in their own homes and meet Government targets .

Stephanie Canham, the council's head of social care for adults, said: "By 2006, 30 per cent of care must be provided for people who live at home.

"The national average is 22 per cent and we are below that level, so we have a big hill to climb.

"We need to recruit more staff to work in people's homes, provide training, and pay staff with a wage that's suitable to them."

The Government points out that elderly people, in general, want to remain in their own homes if possible.

Herefordshire has more people over the age of 65 than the national average but still remains one of the most poorly funded authorities for the elderly.

The county also remains one of the lowest spending authorities in services for older people, despite an investment in 2003/2004.

Mrs Canham said: "We are at a very important milestone. We have an increasingly ageing population and an increasingly demanding public who expect services to be there when they need them."

A report to Herefordshire Council's social care and housing scrutiny committee this week shows that older people's services are under pressure and demands on the service will increase with a rapidly ageing population and tighter Government targets.

Herefordshire Council will need to invest £1.2 million to develop a range of services, maintain a suitable level of care and train the workforce in 2004/2005. The council will also need to invest £336,000 for the assessment, performance and support of the care staff.

The improvements are part of a four-year project and Herefordshire Council will be expected to invest about £2,235,000 over the following three years.