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Sheffield's social services department admits there are 120 people in the city in need of home helps which the council cannot provide because of staff shortages, writes Paul Humphries.

The council says it is working within community care guidelines after city MP Richard Allan asked the authority if it was legally bound to provide a home help service.

The backlog came to light after it was revealed a 92-year-old woman, who lives on her own, had been told the authority did not have the resources to help her, despite its own assessment that because of problems with her heart and mobility she needed a home help to visit twice a day.

Eddie Sherwood, head of adult services at Sheffield council, said: "Community care legislation states that we are required to ensure that care is provided to those assessed as needing it, within our resources.

"We do fulfil this obligation, but there can be a delay between assessment and provision of home support."

He was unable to say what the waiting time was. The authority has started a major exercise to reduce waiting times, but figures do not yet show the reduction. It has also launched a recruitment drive aimed at attracting more home helps.

Sherwood said: "We've had a lot of interest in our home support recruitment drive. This is very encouraging, because it means we should be able to increase our capacity and serve more people."

Richard Allan, Sheffield Hallam MP, who has taken up the elderly woman's case, has told the city council the situation is not acceptable. He said: "If there is not a legal case for this lady to be provided for, then there is most certainly a strong moral one.

"I don't think this is an isolated case and I don't think this is just a problem in Sheffield, but I have asked the city council for a full explanation."