Users of a day centre for people with disabilities have been given a reprieve after Council bosses told them it would not be closing immediately.
Shropshire Council told people at the Grange Day Centre in Levens Drive last month that it would be closing the centre to save £200,000 as part of spending cuts.
Users of the centre believed it would close in March but followingameeting this week with Social Services bosses they now claim the centre could remain open until December 31.
Nicky Clark, who has been campaigning on behalf of disabled people in Shropshire against proposed budget cuts, said she was told this week by The Grange that they have been given the reprieve.
“I’ve just come from The Grange and they’ve been told they’re being offered another nine months use so the centre won’t close until December 31.
“I think it’s a bit of a distraction, they’ve been given a stay of execution but nothing to guarantee they won’t close it anytime,” she added.
Mrs Clark, who launched the Shropshire Cares Campaign in response to proposed cuts, has collected more than 1,000 signatures against the closure and said she had been overwhelmed with the response from the public.
She has planned a protest outside Shirehall on Thursday next week ahead of the full council meeting and has been told that if the signatures can be verified the matter will be discussed by full council in February.
“The number of people who’ve come up to me in the street and said they’ve heard about the campaign is fantastic,” added Mrs Clark.
“They’ve all said how terrible it is they’re closing The Grange, public opinion is really strong about this.”
A spokesman for Shropshire Council confirmed Stephen Chandler, the assistant director for adult social care, had met users at The Grange and was hoping to work with them to ensure their needs were met in the future.
He said no exact dates had been agreed.
Mr Chandler said: “We have never been working to a specific deadline when The Grange has to close. What we have been doing is talking to every person who currently uses The Grange to make sure that the right type of alternative care is provided for them in the future. Our aim has always been to work at the pace that suits everyone, and we will continue to talk to service users and staff.”
By Anna Williams