A COUNCIL officer's claims that only a minority of families oppose the closure of a York day care centre has been greeted with disbelief by a campaigner.

Anne Bygrave, head of learning disabilities at City of York Council, made the claim in a briefing document about the decision to shut Yearsley Bridge centre in Huntington Road as part of a modernisation programme.

She conceded that closure of the centre for adults with learning disabilities would be a radical change, and not all families were "comfortable with it yet".

Then she went on to say: "A minority of families are opposed to the closure - this appears to be based primarily on a wish for the non-closure of Yearsley rather than specific concerns about what alternatives will be available."

But Sally Arnup, who has founded an action group against the closure, claimed: "It's downright wrong.

"It's the other way round. A majority are against the closure and are scared by what is happening, and a minority support it. I have only come across two people in favour of closure."

She said the action group had 20 members and a petition which it had launched against closure had already been signed by hundreds of people, with 260 signatures on her petition forms alone.

Sally, a famous sculptor from Holtby, near York, whose daughter Rebecca, 46, uses a wheelchair and is unable to feed and clothe herself, and regularly attends the centre, said campaigners planned to hand the petition over before a full council meeting later this month.

Asked how the minority claim could be justified, a council spokeswoman said that while more than 70 families were affected by plans to modernise the day care services currently offered at Yearsley Bridge, only a small number had raised issues or concerns with the authority.

"The vast majority have not taken the opportunity to raise any concerns or complaints, even though we have invited them to air and discuss any worries or issues that they have with an officer who has been designated as their first point of contact," she said.

"We would urge anyone who has any concerns or complaints to phone project manager Bart Penson on 01904 554078.

"We want to make the modernisation process as smooth and problem-free as possible for users of Yearsley Bridge Day Centre, and hope they will find that the alternative options that we put in place will be better suited to their individual needs."