Legal day care battle abandoned

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A legal challenge to reopen an Aberdeen day care centre for the disabled amid council cutbacks has been dropped.

Choices on Westburn Road, which offered respite care for 56 people, closed as part of the council's programme of budget savings.

Campaigners hoped a failure to secure an interim interdict to block the closure could be overturned.

However, chairman of Future Choices, Kevin McCahery, has instructed the withdrawal of legal action due to cost.

'Faced reality'

He said: "This has been a very difficult decision for me to make.

"However we have been faced with the reality that our solicitors have advised that the cost of continuing with the legal action could be in excess of £20,000.

"That figure could double if we lost the court case and were required to pay Aberdeen City Council expenses."

He added: "We have decided to spend the money on our members and look to develop a facility to replace Choices in Aberdeen.

"This does not mean that the fight will end. We will continue to campaign against the council cuts which have so seriously affected disabled people in Aberdeen."