An article in the Daily Telegraph spells out the grim fact - on closure of their day centres, elderly people are forced into isolation and many commit suicide.

Are Spelthorne's Conservative councillors so devoid of conscience that they will not even halt the demolition of the Benwell and Stanwell centres until the outcome of the ombudsman's investigation into their decision be known?

By letter on October 11 the ombudsman informed them and me that they had run out of time - almost six months, not the required six weeks - to deal with my allegations of maladministration through Spelthorne's internal procedure. Now investigation follows.

But on October 24 at the public meeting at Bishop Wand School the councillors falsely, in a written answer to a resident's question, denied that they face investigation.

The ombudsman's letter to me about the investigation predates that meeting by some two weeks.

As for the councillors' stage three written reply, refusing to uphold my complaint, it is a weapon which enables me to demolish their case to the investigators before they can demolish the Benwell and Stanwell centres.

Here are some of their choicer admissions: The figures of running costs (Benwell £70,000, Stanwell £65,000) were unsupported and not itemised, as repeatedly I claimed.

I am correct, in revenue terms, in assessing the cost of each centre to spelthorne's residents as just one rotten pound per year. The refusal to estimate the social costs of closures is because they admit that it is far above the £1 per year admitted.

In consultation councillors said they would abide by public opposition to closure, but they have dismissed it.

May I urge readers to demand councillors to refrain from demolition until the investigation team have reported?

HAROLD TRACE Spelthorne Labour Party