I congratulate you on your report of the situation facing Gladys May and her family on Brighton and Hove City Council's proposals to close the Larchwood Resource Centre (The Argus, July 20).

I am 84 and cared for my wife as she suffered from Alzheimer's Disease. I can therefore readily appreciate the anxiety of Gladys and her family at this time of uncertainty.

As a voluntary carer of a user of the centre and having other friends using the facilities for long term, respite and day care, I share their concern and that of all friends of Larchwood.

The council has emphasised the need for consultation. Perhaps it can tell us:

1. Why have councillors not shown a more personal interest by their presence?

2. Why, at this stage of consultation, is the location and suitability of an alternative still treated as "confidential"?

With the recent decline in the provision of suitable care and nursing both in the private and public sectors, coupled with an increased ageing population in the city, the retention of Larchwood as an excellent service provider is more essential than ever.

It is most important at this critical stage of consultation that an emergency meeting be called, open to the public and Press, where the councillors, together with members of the two main committees responsible, attend.

That would go a long way in proving that the council really believes in consultation.

-Cyril Turner, Brighton