BURY'S Carers Partnership faces shock closure if social services bosses carry out their threat to axe its funding.

The department is concerned at the way the registered charity is being managed and plan to suspend funding at the end of the year.

The loss of the cash lifeline, well in excess of £25,000, would force the closure of the Hornby Street-based group. The four staff, most of whom are part-time, have been given 90 days' notice.

This week the partnership chairman said the letter about the funding withdrawal came "out of the blue".

Carers Partnership, previously located at the Seedfield Centre, is a voluntary group which looks after the interests of adult and child carers. It runs a number of activities for hard-working carers.

Social services say they will withdraw funding because of "breach of contractual obligations".

Earlier, officers raised around 40 issues relating to the way the Carers Partnership was being run. The centre's management committee was given a deadline to respond and its reply was lodged two weeks ago, after the date specified.

Mr Allan Calvert, social services' acting head of commissioning, said: "We are concerned that there are a number of matters regarding the management of the centre which we are not satisfied with and which do not meet the standard required by statute and the Charity Commission."

Concerns include health and safety, the apparent absence of an effective business plan, regular information detailing how the centre's money is spent and general management practice.

He added: "We received a reply to our original request for information. But we feel the Carers Partnership have yet to address these issues.

Mrs Doreen Baxter, chairman of the Carers Partnership's management committee trustees, said: "The report we sent social services addressed all their concerns and we were able to refute all their accusations.

"At our last meeting with them, social services said they were very impressed with how we had developed since we moved to Hornby Street. Afterwards, we got this letter about funding withdrawal which came out of the blue."

A meeting to discuss the crisis will be held on November 28.