Your correspondent "Still Angry and Disillusioned" (Letters, February 25) suggests I am heartless for having visited the Re:d Centre and yet continuing to argue that the council has to reduce the level of funding to the centre in order to target a greater proportion of the Children's Disability Family Support Budget on funding direct support and vouchers to those eligible for this support.

In the writer's position, I might well reach the same conclusion. However, in my defence I can only say that I have to take into account the position of children and families who don't use the centre but are eligible for support along with the many other children, adults and elderly people in the borough who look to social services for support through a variety of services.

The unfortunate reality is that if we consistently spend more than we plan in one area of the social services budget, it will be to the detriment of other vulnerable service users.

Tim Chamberlain,

Executive Member for Health

and Social Services,

Bury Council.