Campaigners trying to save a day care centre threatened with closure say they are 'optimistic' after a reshuffle of the Adult Care department at Cornwall Council.

Carers and parents of service users at Morley Tamblyn Lodge (MTL), Liskeard, which is set to close in 2010 under plans by Cornwall Council, have welcomed the appointment of cllr Armand Toms as the new portfolio holder for Adult Care.

Speaking to The Cornish Times, cllr Toms said it was a challenging post and one he would work hard at.

'We have to look at it with fresh eyes,' he said.

'When I looked at Adult Care I realised it was a big job. I am not daunted by it.

'It is a challenge and I will face it with passion.'

Plans approved at the end of March to modernise learning disability day centres in Cornwall could see three centres close by 2011, but campaigners are hoping that could change under the new Conservative council.   

'We have a lot of unhappy people, not only from MTL but from Blantyre and Murdoch Trevithick,' said cllr Toms, who also sits on Looe Town Council.

'If it means we have to re-consult we will do it.

'I know a lot of service users and I speak to them.

'It is a matter of fact that those people need to be treated with respect.'

MTL, which serves around 58 people, has been open for 30 years and more than 1,600 people have signed a petition to save the centre.

'I am not giving false hope,' said cllr Toms.

'Until I have spoken to Kim Carey (corporate director for adult care and support at Cornwall Council), I cannot give them assurance.'

'It might be a case of utilising the facilities we have in a different way.'