PLANS for the inevitable squeeze on public sector spending are already at an advanced stage in the wake of the financial crisis caused by the recklessness of the banks.

The result will be that local authorities across the country will be making some tough and unpopular decisions.

But Darlington Borough Council has given an assurance that the modernisation demands placed on the Salvation Army hostel for homeless people at Tom Raine Court is not a cost-saving exercise.

The council insists that the £1.1m it spends each year to provide services for homeless people will not be squeezed.

We welcome that assurance because, although the council is not legally obliged to fund such services, there is a clear moral obligation to provide support and shelter for the most vulnerable members of our society.

It is, of course, also the council’s responsibility to ensure that public money is spent in the most effective way across the borough’s four hostels and the associated services provided.

Unenviable choices have to be made and, if better care can be provided elsewhere, then so be it.

But it is important to recognise the vital role the Salvation Army has played in supporting the homeless in Darlington and to pay special tribute to Tony Thornton, who was awarded the MBE for his efforts over the past 16 years.

It will be a sad day if the service provided at Tom Raine Court comes to an end, and we trust that everything possible will be done to find accommodation for the 37 residents who have found a lifeline there.