DAY care centre volunteers have urged the council to keep the centres open as it considers ways to save £600,000.

They warned of the human cost of closing or reducing funding for centres – including those in Bridport and west Dorset.

The comments come as county councillors meet to discuss options about the future of the day care services.

Proposals include:

• Reducing available services – either by closing units, or reducing hours or service options

• Set up a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC)

• Tender for the services to transfer to an independent organisation, a charity or business The LATC would be a separate business but owned by Dorset County Council.

It would be able to trade, offering a wider range of services that could provide an income.

It would also provide a service to the people supported now as well as for people who could afford to pay for themselves under council rules.

Bridport has day care at the Age Concern-run Chancery House, the Riverside centre in Vernon’s Court and the Fisherman’s Arms in South Street.

Chancery House, which is off East Street, raises its own funding but also has a grant from the council and takes council referrals.

Sue Jenkins, who is secretary to the trustees, said: “We desperately hope that the proposals won’t affect the essential opportunities and services that Chancery House offers to the those needy and older people and unpaid and governmentally unappreciated carers.”

She added that volunteers and day centre users were very concerned about what was going to happen.

Debbie Ward, council director for adult and community services, said: “Day services make a vital contribution to meeting people’s needs.

“But the council has to make a saving of £600,000 by 2014 out of a net budget for in-house day services of £6.651m. “We want to explore ways of ensuring the future for day services in the context of the difficult financial framework we are now working within.

“We are doing our best to protect frontline services. “Some changes will be required, both to operate within the new financial constraints and also respond to changing demands.”

The options go before the council’s committee before a decision at its cabinet on July 6. There would then be a three-month consultation period.