The future of an adult day care centre is in jeopardy after a council earmarked it for closure.

The Phoenix Centre in Lewes has been included in East Sussex County Council’s list of proposed £4 million savings.

The centre provides a day care facility to over 55s suffering from long-term health issues such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and the after effects of a stroke.

News that it was at risk was greeted with a backlash on social media and a protest against the closure has been organised to take place outside the centre on Saturday at 12.30pm.

Lewes town councillor Kevin West said the cuts were "horrible" and the result of underfunding from the previous government.

Lewes resident Sarah Clowes is a freelance carer co-ordinator and looked after her own mother for seven years when she had Alzheimer’s.

She said: “I am passionate about keeping open the Phoenix Centre, it’s an absolutely vital resource for the elderly and disabled across the district.

"I work with families, supporting them to care for their elderly parents in their own homes. This vital resource not only gives carers a vital break, it enables them to work or socialise with the knowledge their parents are safe and being looked after well.

“Having spent time in the Phoenix Centre the facilities are great, the lunch club in particular seems like a particular favourite with the clients, not just for the delicious food but the social interaction. The county council have no plans on what will replace this valuable resource but have also recently spent a lot of money on refurbishing the building. It just doesn’t make sense to close it.”

It is not the first time the centre has faced closure. In 2018, the council added it to a list of proposed cuts but the move was successful campaigned against by the Liberal Democrats. Lewes MP James MacCleary has spoken out against the proposed closure.

He said: "This is completely the wrong time to be slashing funding for adult social care.

"I am dismayed by the council's proposals to close the Phoenix Centre, especially when the knock-on effects for the community and the NHS are obvious: half a million people in England are waiting for care and many are stranded in hospital beds due to the lack of space in care homes. Vulnerable people cannot go home after they finish hospital treatment because the follow-up care they need does not exist, putting increased pressure on the NHS."