IN RESPONSE to "17% council tax rise shock" (LET, March 5), I, along with many members of the community, was highly disappointed to learn that the Conservative group on Blackburn Council wanted to close the museum's South Asian Cultural Gallery, shut the housing department's advice centre and scrap the borough barge project and the council's Shuttle newspaper.

Blackburn Museum itself and its unique South Asia Gallery are living and leading examples of a truly multi-cultural society we have in Blackburn.

To even think of closing the gallery and its services would be disastrous for the multi-cultural concept and would be very harmful for community harmony and unity.

Whenever cuts in the budget are made, it seems that Asian people are the first in line to receive the blow despite their significant contribution to the socio-economic structure of Great Britain.

To propose closure of the services, which Blackburn Tories did, demands that before any decisions are made which affect the community, a thorough consultation exercise should take place.

HANIF MOOSA (Mr), Inkerman Street, Blackburn.

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