The trustees of a counselling and information centre for young people based in Witney are standing down over fears for its future, writes Suzanne Huband.

The Flat, which is based in a former police station next to Henry Box School on Church Green, was started more than eight years ago at Eynsham Youth Centre. It now offers counselling and information for young people aged 16 to 25 from Witney, Eynsham, Burford and Woodstock. It is run by Oxfordshire County Council, backed by a set of trustees.

The county council is restructuring the way The Flat is run and says it hopes to expand the service, but the trustees say the changes will reduce the counselling services. The chairman of the trustees, Bill Berry, who is headteacher of Bartholomew School, Eynsham, said: "The trustees are deeply concerned about a number of issues, including the reduction in the counselling service based at The Flat, and believe that the excellent service offered for years will now be lost.

"We have decided unanimously, but reluctantly, that we cannot continue to support a service which is so much changed from the beginning, and will start the process of closing down the trust." The county council's senior education officer, Monica Hannaway, said changes to the running of The Flat had come after two youth workers involved had left to take up new posts.

"We are not closing The Flat and are appointing new staff. We want to make the service more assessable and take the opportunity to offer counselling out in the community," she said.