THANK you for drawing your readers' attention to the threatened closure of the day centres provided by Devon County Council (Courier, February 14).  

I would question the Council's assurance that it is not reducing or cutting support to people with eligible needs.  

It is hard to believe that there is alternative provision which can give the same level of help now available.  

One may, perhaps, sympathise with the dilemma faced by Conservative councillors in having to reduce services because the Coalition Government has slashed grants to councils.   

Councillor Nick Way complains that the action being taken by Devon County Council is "a cut too far", but does not seem to recognise that it is his fellow Liberal Democrats in the Government who are equally to blame for the dire financial state of the County Council.

It is, as always, the most vulnerable who are being targeted. Day centres are a vital service for frail or disabled people and give relief to their carers who may otherwise have no opportunity of a break from caring.  

They should also be seen as a preventative service - monitoring the well-being of those attending and perhaps forestalling the need for residential care.

It is very important that as many people as possible respond to the consultation.  

There are paper copies of the documents available by telephoning 0345 155 1012 as well as on line at: http://new.devon.gov.uk/dayservices/">http://new.devon.gov.uk/dayservices/ .   

The documents (which include statements whose accuracy have been questioned) are worth reading for the information they give. Some are quite puzzling.  

For instance, the document relating to "St. Lawrence Day Centre" lists "various community facilities" in or near Crediton.  

One of these is The Red House, whose entry in the Devon Community Directory says that it  "provides accommodation-based supported housing for young people..."  Hardly, one would have thought, an alternative to day care for elderly people! 

If this consultation is to be helpful to those who fear losing the services on which they now rely, it is, surely, essential that the County Council makes very clear what are the realistic alternatives.  

The present documents do not do this.  

Attendance at a luncheon club, for instance, cannot be regarded as an alternative to going to a day centre, where one of the services given may include a bath for a frail person who cannot manage it alone.  

All concerned should give their views to Devon County Council and should question some of the thinking behind these proposals.

Pamela Galloway

Central Devon

Constituency

Labour Party

By email