Thank you for your marvellous support but time is running short. Wirral Borough Council meets on Thursday this week to set its budget which includes saving £155k by closing Girtrell. Its staff have already been told that their jobs will be deleted ( isn't that a charming, warm human phrase ?) so naturally they will be looking for other employment and, hey presto, Girtrell will implode through lack of skilled, caring staff. The council is consulting with users on their needs but this is precisely my point - they have not done the needs analysis so how can they say that the private sector can meet them, at what cost or justify the mythical £155k saving ? And if they can't do these things, where is Plan B ? The council has already postponed a plan to transfer the library service operation to voluntary sector groups because of lack of definition in how this will be achieved. The respite service plan is no different so we need to show them that people (both carers and cared for) are more important than books. This campaign will not end on Thursday. It will go on until the council see the folly and cruelty of what they are doing but this Thursday is important so we need to build on this marvellous start. Please :- Recruit all the supporters on Wirral that you can and ; Bombard the listed councillors with your protest emails; Remind them that you their voters are weighing their actions on this key topic and that Polling Day is coming ; Demand an effective Plan B - retention and continued operation of Girtrell unless and until credible alternatives are established, costed, bench marked, evaluated, properly consulted and commissioned; Oh and maybe mention that if the council officers had done the last step first, they would not be having this protest now :