Protestors to stand outside East Dunbartonshire HQ over plans to close Milan Centre
It's home to special day care services for elderly people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Dozens of protestors are expected to stand outside the council's office in East Dunbartonshire this morning to stop the closure of the Milan Centre.
It's home to special day care services for elderly people from ethnic minority backgrounds with staff who speak multiple different languages.
Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal is one of them and told Greatest Hits Radio: "Nowhere else offers the same combination of multi-lingual staff, appropriate food and cultural understanding.
"I am concerned these people are going to be stuck in their homes and closed off from society.
"For some people, the prospect of Milan closing is causing them a great deal of stress.
"They have contributed to our country for many years socially, economically and culturally."
A grassroots petition to halt the closure has already gained 1,500 responses.
Pam added: "Instead of closing the centre the council should be highlighting Milan as a model for the rest of the country to follow.
"I hope the council will consider more carefully how essential this centre is for people from minority backgrounds who have distinct cultural and religious beliefs.
"It does not appear that local needs could be met by the current proposals for a replacement service."
Caroline Sinclair, Chief Officer of East Dunbartonshire HSCP, said “We appreciate that changing the way in which people receive their support can cause anxiety and many people do not want to see any changes made at all.
"However, as demand for services increases, and funding and resources become more scare, it is necessary for us make changes and to provide services in a an equitable and efficient way for the future.
“We remain keen to work positively with the users of the Milan Centre and their families and carers to help ensure they continue to receive the support they have been assessed as requiring, in a way that suits them best from the range of future options available.”