STUNNED users and staff are furious at budget-cutting council proposals to close a mental health day centre in York.

News that Sycamore House in Clarence Street could close to save City of York Council £190,000 came as a bombshell to users and staff alike when they learned about it by reading the Evening Press on Wednesday.

They say the centre provides a vital service to around 600 people recovering from mental illness after being discharged from hospital.

The centre is used by up to 70 people, six days a week, including three evenings. It runs art, music, stress management and women's groups, offers support and advice from staff, and has a caf.

An emergency meeting was being held this afternoon to try to save it.

Sean Richardson, 34, said he had used the centre since it opened in 1999, when he went back to live in Acomb after a period in Bootham Hospital suffering from depression. He has recovered so well, he hopes to resume his career as a lawyer.

He said: "This centre has been a Godsend to me. If a place like this hadn't existed I would have gone under."

Coun Rod Hills, leader of the City of York Council, said staff had not been warned as the idea was only a proposal. "Their concerns are understandable. These are proposals because we are facing a £4 million gap in the budget and we are genuinely trying to consult."

Updated: 11:53 Friday, January 18, 2002