A transport lifeline which served some of the district's most vulnerable communities has been cut after a funding bid to Bradford Council collapsed at the eleventh hour.

Bradford Community Transport has been placed in administration after 25 years of serving pensioners, disabled people and young families.

A cash crisis at the end of 2005 saw it go cap in hand to Council chiefs in a last-ditch bid to keep operating but they were turned away.

The Hutson Street Community Centre in Little Horton is one of the groups now having to scrap summer trips to Blackpool and Scarborough.

Pam Stewart, the centre's creche co-ordinator, said people like four-year-old Sanah Khan will be disappointed: "To get on public transport with youngsters is very difficult and other private companies are very expensive. BCT was very competitive.

"This will stop us from going out on trips because we cannot afford private firms. I think more could have been done to help this company stay in business."

John Adlington, chairman of BCT, said talks failed after Bradford Council failed to offer the £200,000 funding needed.

He said: "They were on about rescue packages but they said they had no money to give us. They are spending millions elsewhere and yet we needed just £200,000. If they wanted to help they could have got the money from somewhere."

A Council spokesman said BCT declined help in setting up a business plan. But she said the authority - which got an extra £5 million from Government for next year and collected nearly a surplus of £4 million in council tax payments - could not offer cash help to project.

Councillor Martin Smith, the Council's executive member for social care, said: "The Council may well have received additional money from council tax collection but it is not free money, it is a debt and has to be put back into services."

He said social services teams have stepped into provide transport to elderly and disabled groups: "What is not available now is the hire of buses out for trips.

"But there are operators other than BCT that groups can get prices from."

The Labour group spokesman for health and social care, Councillor John Godward (Lab, Great Horton), said the Council should have offered BCT a one-off bridging loan to help BCT through its difficulties: "You would think that the Council could offer £200,000 to tide them over."

Liberal Democrat group leader Councillor Jeanette Sunderland said: "It is very disappointing that the executive was not able to help."

The company's 15 vehicles - three coaches, 11 minibuses and one van - now look set to sold through the administrators.