ANXIETY is growing among users of Ealing’s Solace Centre over the delay in making a decision on its future.

A user of the council-run mental health drop-in clinic, who attended six days a week, died under a train at Ealing Broadway station last Wednesday.

Campaigners claim the delay in ruling on the centre’s future is in response to the tragedy, but Ealing Council says extra time is needed to seek an alternative to the service.

Centre member Gerald Crossley, 37, said: “All I can think about at this moment is the time that I spent with [the deceased] and his son on Christmas Day at the Solace Centre.

“He was repeatedly asking me what was going to happen to everyone if the Solace Centre closed. Where are we going to go? This keeps going around and around in my head.”

Originally planned for January, the decision over the future of the Solace Centre could now take months.

Cllr Hitesh Tailor, cabinet member for health and adult services, said: “My heartfelt sympathies go out to the gentleman's family and friends at this very difficult time.

“It was always our intention to work with local groups and users to work up alternative ways to continue the service. Some interesting suggestions have been made that can still achieve the required savings.

“We will be developing these further over the next few months, discussing it with the users of the centre and we will come back to cabinet with further proposals to consider.”

Cllr Tailor said the borough’s priority continued to be the wellbeing of centre users.

Since the Save Our Solace campaign was initiated in November, it has gained 1,600 signatures on a petition, 150 e-mails of support and celebrity backing from comedienne Jo Brand and former Gladiator Mike ‘Bullit’ Harvey.

The mental health drop-in service in Bowmans Close opened in 1992 and had 9,242 attendances last year.

It is the only out-of-hours mental health centre in the borough and costs just £104,000 per year to run. Campaigners argue that figure would be replaced by hospital costs for users should the closure go ahead.

Comments about the proposed closure can be sent to council leader Julian Bell at julian.bell@ealing.gov.uk and you can sign the petition at www.saveoursolace.co.uk