Brighton and Hove Greens are urging councillors to reprieve a much-loved day centre that is earmarked for closure.
They said that they were angry about an official report to the Brighton and Hove Health and Wellbeing Board recommending the closure of Tower House, in London Road, Brighton.
The report said that Brighton and Hove City Council should make alternative arrangements for more than 70 people who use the day centre for older people and younger adults with disabilities.
The Greens said that the Labour-led council had failed to explore fully the alternative options for keeping the centre open despite just such an investigation being agreed by all parties in November.
They said: “Council officers have claimed there is a lack of demand for the Tower House service and that the service is under capacity.
“Yet the council report also acknowledges that since November 2015, social services have pursued a policy of not making any new referrals.”
The report said: “Because people have been offered alternative individual services in line with the Care Act, there have been no new referrals to Tower House during this period.”
The Greens said that the report presented the day centre closure as a fait accompli but insisted that there was still time for opposition councillors to reject the proposals.
Councillor Phéllim Mac Cafferty, the convenor of the opposition Green group on the council, said: “At the November meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee, council officers were instructed to consult on ways to keep the day centre open for its existing users.
“This simply hasn’t been done adequately and I’m furious that we are being asked to close a beloved service without any alternatives having been considered.
“I recognise the current funding pressures on adult social care but abolishing services which act as a lifeline to lonely isolated people is not the way to do it.
“We know that loneliness can be more damaging than smoking 15 cigarettes a day and has a massive financial impact on local authority and NHS services.
“We have both a moral and financial duty to tackle it.
“We recognise other services are available but these are often underfunded and oversubscribed and won’t be able to offer a place for all our service users.
“Personalised services, on the other hand, threaten to replace community engagement with one-to-one support which will break up friendships and support networks.
“Day centres may be considered a ‘traditional’ model of care but they are highly valued by users and the need for participation in one’s community is timeless.
“Replacing this with support at home is not progress. It’s a backwards step which will break up disabled people from their friends.
“We are calling on the Labour council to suspend the closure to Tower House and start referring service users to the centre once again.
“With a bit of creativity we can make this service sustainable and keep a community together. It’s worth it for the savings it will deliver further down the line.”
The Health and Wellbeing Board is expected to recommend the closure of Tower House this afternoon (Tuesday 19 April).
The final decision is expected to be made by the council’s Policy and Resources Committee on Thursday 28 April.
My mother attends this day centre she has not been offered alternative care services but told there is another service that will cost £22 in taxi fare to get to before she has paid for the day centre food ect.
A folder has been give to the users suggesting they use services for the homeless thus putting more pressuer on those services
This is not an enviroment in which the elderly will feel safe or even begin to meet their needs.
They are struggling with the proposed closure and the effect is devestating
This is a much needed resourse that is scarce and needed