A petition has started against moves by Bradford Council to determine how much help the vulnerable and elderly will get in their homes.

The Council has faced fierce criticism for its proposal to move the bar higher for vulnerable and elderly people receiving help in the home for 2014-15.

Now, days before a consultation starts, the Liberal Democrat group has started knocking on doors in MP David Ward’s Bradford East constituency urging people to sign and protect the Fair Access to Care (FACS) guidelines which means that those with moderate needs get help in the home.

Resetting the FACS guidelines to substantial or critical so those with moderate needs do not get help to which they currently receive would mean 2,000 people losing out, including 788 aged 18 to 64 and 1,290 aged 65 or over, making a saving of £1.57 million a year for the Council.

The FACS guidelines help determine a person's care needs and whether an individual is eligible for a service from the Council to help them live at home independently.

“People can be assessed as either low, moderate, substantial or critical across the district.

A report by the social care overview and scrutiny committee highlights the need for the consultation, the results of which will then go to the Labour-run Council's powerful executive in September.

Earlier this week, Councillor Amir Hussain, the Council's portfolio holder for adult services, insisted it was premature to talk about the impact before any decision had been made.

He also pledged that people with moderate needs would not suffer – whatever the eventual decision.

Coun Hussain said: “Nobody is thinking about closing the door on people with moderate needs.”

But Mr Ward said he managed to collect 60 signatures in the space of an hour in his constituency.

He said: “We know there has been a shift away in terms of the FACS criteria in other places, but that does not mean we have to do that in Bradford.

“It could mean they are all wrong elsewhere and we are right in using the criteria we have at the moment.

“What we have got to do is challenge the prevailing view that this will somehow save money.”

To sign the petition visit http://davidward.org.uk.