Carers who look after a disabled, sick or vulnerable family member have been left without a voice, after a council has failed to fill the post it set up to represent them for more than eight months.

Glasgow's Carers' Champion is supposed to provide a passionate independent voice, speaking up for hard-pressed relatives to public bodies and care services.

However the role has been vacant since March, when previous Carers' Champion Dr Christopher Mason resigned. After advertising to fill the voluntary post the council received only two applications, both of which were turned down.

Dr Mason, who found himself embroiled in controversy after he accused the council of 'dishonest practices' in assessing people's needs and published a report calling for the council to review a programme of closures of centres for adults with learning disabilities, served in the role for two and a half years.

He described it as a thankless task but added that he was surprised the council still has not recruited his replacement, since he left in the spring for personal reasons.

"It is a fairly thankless task but it is awfully necessary," he said. "If you don't support the families who are looking after people, you will find the burden is thrown back on the state. A lot of problems are down to the fact that carers get a raw deal. Bed-blocking, for example is a hell of a lot to do with carers' issues."

However he said politicians and civil servants were often unwilling to listen to carers.

"If only they and other professionals would listen to what caring families have to say everything would be much better. But they are far too busy listening to each other and consequently they don't ge things right," he said.

Carers in the city were infuriated about day centre closures, he added, making compromise difficult. "The carers are militant and I understand completely how they feel, " he said. "The job of carers champion is to speak plainly to officialdom, but also to the cares about what is feasible and what isn't."

Advertisements run by the city in the summer said the council had led the way in giving carers a voice and called for applications from people with strong leadership and interpersonal skills.

However neither of the candidates who came forward were considered strong enough by the council and social work chief David Williams.

Claire Cairns, co-ordinator at the coalition of carers in Scotland said with the Carers' Bill currently progressing at the Scottish Parliament it was vital for Glasgow to appoint a new candidate.

"Christopher Mason did a good job of standing up for carers in Glasgow," she said. "It is a bad time to be without a Carers' Champion. There are a lot of changes taking place and carers are going to need that strong voice to help make sure Glasgow is ready for the new rights they are being given."

Cllr Mhairi Hunter, SNP spokeswoman for Health and Social Care, said: "It’s vital carers are involved right from the start in the decision-making processes of the council, instead of being consulted about decisions after the council has made them.

"It’s essential to get a Carers Champion appointed. There are many people who are more than capable of doing it provided the council is serious about the role and offers the right support."

A report from Carers' UK last week estimated that carers save Scotland's economy £10.8 billion a year.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: “We have been actively attempting to identify a suitable individual for the role of Carer’s Champion.

“Our services for carers are well received within the city and the Carer’s Champion is an important part of that support. We hope to make progress on the appointment of a new Carer’s Champion in the very near future.”