Devon CC will pause its plans to cut adult day and respite services after the mental health charity Mencap threatened to take legal action.

In January, the council announced plans to reduce its in-house provision for day care and respite services to help cut £30m from the adult care budget.

Devon today announced it would halt its consultation in order to ‘listen and evaluate' the feedback it had received from Mencap, staff, unions and carers.

A council spokesperson said: ‘We greatly value our ongoing working relationship with all of our stakeholders and believe it is only right, due to this and the volume of concerns, that time is taken to listen and evaluate.

‘We have therefore agreed to halt our current public consultations regarding day services and respite services so we can review all comments in detail.'

Bob Gaiger, a trustee of Exeter and District Mencap Society, said he hoped the council's review of the comments received led it to cancel its ‘distressing proposals for adult day and respite services'.