A SPECIAL public meeting on the future of care homes and day centres in Hyndburn has been called in a bid to prevent proposed closures.

And Hyndburn MP Greg Pope has vowed to press for Lancashire County Council to withdraw its 'hit list' of homes that may close and begin a new consultation period instead.

The public meeting, organised by the Hyndburn Action Committee, will be held on Tuesday May 28 from 6pm. It will be attended by Mr Pope and County Councillor Doreen Pollitt, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council.

David Baxter, chairman of the Hyndburn Action Committee which is made up of concerned residents and the relatives of people in care homes and day centres, said the meeting would provide the opportunity for those opposed to the County Council's proposals to voice their concerns.

He said: "After the first meeting at Woodlands in Clayton-le-Moors everyone was left very frustrated and many were frightened. We then formed this committee to get proper information and talk common sense as it will do no good ranting and raving.

"If we can save any of the homes or day centres we will have done our job. As my generation are all war babies, and will be the next ones to need these services, we must fight for them.

"We also need to get Hyndburn Borough Council more involved with this and look at any other options that are available because we are talking about people's lives here. The more pressure we put on County Council the more chance there is that their minds will be changed." Mr Pope, who will attend the meeting at Accrington town hall from 7.30pm, said: "I am pleased to be asked to go along . My view remains pretty much unchanged on this matter as I have thought all along that having a hit list of homes to close is the wrong way to proceed.

"I hope my friends in the County Council will withdraw this and have a new consultation period -- which is what I want to happen.

"I will continue to press the case and hope they will withdraw the hit-list."

There are 35 of the 48 care homes in Lancashire on the hit-list for closure including 19 in East Lancashire.

Lancashire county council will decide on the proposals in July. It says it needs to re-organise the way it cares for the elderly to meet government guidelines, with more pensioners staying in their own homes.

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph has backed calls for a re-think, with 600 people attending the paper's protest match in Burnley and more than 2,000 filling in coupons to register their objections.

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