SERVICES provided at a day centre for elderly Asian people in Bury are to be cut.

Bury Council is reassessing the care it provides at the Jinnah Centre on Alfred Street to "tailor it to current needs".

Council chiefs claim that there is a low take-up of the services and as a result will just provide a luncheon club. This means the centre will be open for a few hours a day and staff will no longer be on site.

Following a review and consultation, council chiefs say the £65,00 grant will be spent on "more relevant services", but stress that no user will be left in need.

The centre opened in 1996 after receiving a grant from the National Lottery, and it has been funded since then by Bury Council.

Chairman of the management committee, Mohammed Salim said: "The centre, since it opened, has been very popular with local people. There is nothing for the elderly people living in the Asian community.

"Although it is unfortunate that at the end of the month there will be no carers on site, it will operate as a luncheon club and the same information and advice will still be available."

Commenting on the review he added: "We will be working in partnership with the community to ensure a wide range of views are sought."

Pat Horan, the council's assistant director for adult services, said: "The council has funded and supported the centre as an element in the strategy to meet the needs of older people from the Asian community who could access day-time care and support from there.

"However, current attendance at the centre is less than 30 people each day, and many of those assessed as needing to attend do not do so on a regular basis. This low take-up forced the council to reconsider the service provided by Jinnah."