An elderly widow showed her gratitude to a hospital which treated her husband by leaving it £3 million in her will, it emerged today.

A HARD-UP council could be sued for axeing key services for disabled people. Aberdeen City Council’s £27million budget cuts will see funding withdrawn from social work and care organisations.

THE political wrangle over the introduction of new home care charges has been ongoing for months but the final decision has now been made.

CITY councillors were today accused of “assassinating” Edinburgh’s community groups after backing funding cuts that will lead to closures and job losses.

At a highly-charged meeting in the City Chambers yesterday, nine groups made last-minute pleas for more cash, but only one – the Edinburgh Community Food Initiative – was successful.

A £300,000 funding cut for Edinburgh Leisure means six of the city’s eight sports centre crèches will now almost certainly close, despite protests from mothers and a petition signed by more than 1400 people in just a few days.

Five of Edinburgh’s community newspapers, which have been published for over 30 years and are read by 175,000 people, are also set to be wound up, with the loss of 11 jobs.

Many groups also hit out after hearing of the cuts for the first time days ago, either from council reports or in the Evening News.

Scores of groups will now have to cope with no annual increase in funding – some for the fourth year running.

A DESPERATE Scots mum is pleading for someone to help her autistic daughter, who can’t stop punching herself in the head.

A SECURE unit for children was likened to a “war zone” by furious staff yesterday.

BUNGLING Lib Dem MSPs last night threw into chaos plans to allow serious offenders to be released early on tagging orders.

A nursery worker has denied a charge of force-feeding children in her care.

A 79-YEAR-OLD dementia sufferer was left to roam the streets on Friday, after walking out of the Kirkcaldy care home where he was staying.

Aberdeen councillors have been asked to attend talks with the various campaign groups fighting to save a range of services.