A Government minister has been accused of betraying vulnerable people after he refused to accept responsibility for poor funding of services.

Two Oxfordshire MPs criticised the Government following a debate in the House of Commons on December 3.

The comments came after Health Minister David Lammy refused to accept responsibility for cuts in Oxfordshire's social services budget.

Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris and Witney Conservative MP David Cameron pleaded for extra cash in advance of an announcement on December 5, on how much local authorities will receive.

Oxfordshire's social services department has been forced to make £8.9m of cuts.

Dr Harris, Oxford West and Abingdon MP, wanted Mr Lammy to say whether the county should increase charges, further increase council tax, which last year went up by 9.9 per cent, or make more cuts.

He said that Labour had failed to overturn previous Tory cuts, as the party had promised to do.

Mr Cameron backed him, asking Mr Lammy to visit the county.

The minister acknowledged that Oxfordshire's social services were operating under tremendous pressure, but said that grants had gone up by three per cent above inflation each year since 1997.

Afterwards, Dr Harris said: "Mr Lammy denied the existence of the problem and tried to evade his responsibility.

"It's immoral of the Government to underfund social care because it hits the most vulnerable in society -- the old, the disabled, the young and the vulnerable -- hardest.

"Mr Lammy has betrayed the vulnerable people in Oxfordshire and the people of the county will not forgive him and his Government."