CARERS charity Crossroads has offered Bury Council an olive branch in a late attempt to keep services going.

Bosses at the Hornby Street group have written to council leader Wayne Campbell asking for talks over the failure to agree a price to run a voucher scheme for adults needing care.

The trustees say they hope for a resolution - the Bury Times understands that the parties are only £7,000 apart - or they will withdraw from the scheme, leading to staff redundancies and users having to go elsewhere.

They say they made a £23,000 loss last year on the scheme, caused by council delays in negotiating a new contract and its refusal to increase the hourly rate.

Their offer follows a statement from Councillor Tim Chamberlain, executive member for health and well being, who said: "We are sorry to lose Crossroads from the voucher scheme but stress that any losses being incurred are not as a result of any action taken by the council as there has been no cut in these budgets.

"The running costs for Crossroads is a matter for them, but they have consistently received above inflation-increases every year since the voucher scheme started in 2000."

Pat Horan, director of adult care services, said: "We are in touch with all carers who have been receiving a service from Crossroads and I want to assure them that they can continue to use the voucher scheme with other professional domiciliary care providers who already provide this service."

Liberal Democrat councillor Vic D'Albert called on the council to get round the table for talks.

"Bury Council have to accept responsibility for their part in this crisis," he said. "It's time Coun Chamberlain actually met with Crossroads and carers representatives and discussed the crisis face to face instead of putting on this now too familiar combination of denial, misinformation and deception."