"STOP campaigning and embrace change."

That is the message of a York father, whose severely- disabled son has been attending Yearsley Bridge Day Centre for 15 years.

The Huntington Road centre is due to close in May as part of City of York Council's plans to modernise its services for people with learning disabilities.

More than 6,000 people have now signed a petition opposing the centre's closure.

But Barrie Stephenson, 58, of Heworth, in York, said he thought the fight to keep the centre open was very "short-sighted".

Mr Stephenson, whose 34-year-old son, Warwick, suffers from cerebral palsy, said: "Yearsley Bridge has served people with learning disabilities in York excellently for many years, but it is at the end of its life.

"The flexible approach to provision that the council is introducing will be a better way to meet the diverse needs of the users.

"I anticipate some pain in the transition from what they have now to the new provision, but it's inevitable.

"I think it will be worth the disruption to ultimately create a better service that is more adaptable to individuals."

When the centre closes, the 70 users will be offered individually-tailored care packages and activities at a range of other locations across the city.

Mr Stephenson, who works as a media trainer, said: "My son has been travelling to the same institution, four or five days a week, for the last 15 years.

"He will enjoy the change and variety that the new service will allow him to experience.

"Which of us wants to be made to attend the same place week after week, year after year?

"I reject the idea that people with learning disabilities don't understand what's happening to them. They have as much right to embrace change as anyone else."

He said he understood why other families were worried about the changes, but said it was time to move into the 21st century.

"The sooner we can get on with the transition the better," he said.

"What's the point of wasting effort and council officers' time on propping up a service that is outdated when we could be getting on with the job of replacing it with something better?

"It's a bitter pill for some to swallow, but things change; time marches on and for my part I think that broadly, the right decisions are being made.

"Let's not scream at them for changing things, lets applaud them for daring to move into the 21st century. I think my son, for one, will enjoy it."