AS Lancashire County Council's so called "consultation period" over the proposed closure of care homes and day centres for the elderly moves towards its final month, a public meeting has been called in Hyndburn next week.

Concerned residents who have formed an action committee to campaign against the plans say the meeting will give opponents the chance to voice their feelings about plans to close 35 of the county's 48 care homes - 19 of them in East Lancashire.

Since 600 people attended our march in Burnley, 2,000 have filled in coupons to register their objections and another protest march is planned for Preston tomorrow, many might think the public had already made their views on these ill-thought out proposals pretty plain.

The council says the plans are necessary because it needs to re-organise the way it cares for the elderly to meet new government guidelines.

These guidelines will involve more people staying in their own homes and the county says it will need £14.5million to bring the remaining 13 care homes up to new standards by 2007 - money it could raise by closing the remainder.

But, as Hyndburn Action Committee chairman David Baxter says, "my generation. . .will be the next ones to need these services, we must fight for them." And it's also true that once they are lost, it is highly unlikely such homes will ever be replaced.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope, who is to attend the meeting along with the deputy leader of the county council, repeats that he wants the hit-list to be withdrawn and a new consultation period brought in.

The hit-list must be withdrawn. And, as Labour colleague and Pendle MP Gordon Prentice has said, a consultation period usually means people choosing between options.

So far the public have not been offered any choice - just an unacceptable scheme that appears to be supported by no one except a few ruling county councillors.