Leading councillors have promised to listen to families during a consultation as Brighton and Hove City Council looks to save money by closing a day centre for adults with learning disabilities.
The council aims to save £400,000 by closing Wellington House, in Wellington Street, Brighton.
The move comes 10 years after Labour justified the closure of the Belgrave Day Centre, in Portslade, by saying that care would be provided at Wellington House instead.
The proposals were voted through as part of the annual budget-setting process last night (Thursday 26 February) but will still be subject to a 12-week consultation.
The Labour deputy leader of the council Jacob Taylor said that services would be “re-provided” not removed after a consultation with staff and service users.
Labour councillor Mitchie Alexander, the council’s cabinet member for communities, equalities, public health and adult social care, said that she recognised feelings were running high on the proposals.
Councillor Alexander said: “We will only re-commission the day opportunities for those currently attending Wellington House if we are fully satisfied that their needs can be met still with one of our city’s fantastic not-for-profit provider partners.
“I give my word on this. It is not just about making a saving. It is an opportunity to assess what provision people with learning disabilities and their families would like to see offered in the future.”
She promised meetings with parents and carers of young people with learning disabilities to shape future provision.
On the consultation, Councillor Alexander said that it would be in-depth and involve the other six day care providers operating in the city.
The Labour leader of the council Bella Sankey said that she understood that people would feel anxious about any changes to services at Wellington House.
Councillor Sankey said: “Change is never easy and I commit that we will listen and co-produce the future of our learning disability day services with those who use them.
“I want our outcomes to be even better and I think that is something that can be achieved.”
Opposition councillors were critical of the potential closure, with Green councillor Raphael Hill saying: “Labour tells us that they want co-production in the proposals for Wellington House Day Centre closure.
“But that desire for co-production stands in contention with the financial envelope this council operates in and the choice to target this service for cuts.”
Councillor Hill said that service users will lose their longstanding relationships with established staff and some would not receive the support they need.
Fellow Green councillor Kerry Pickett recalled the closure of the Belgrave Day Centre, in Portslade.
And another Green councillor Sue Shanks said that it was surprising that Labour would “fail to protect” the valuable and well-regarded service.
Conservative councillor Alistair McNair said that parents and carers would lose out through the lack of respite care.
Councillor McNair said: “A Labour council, always bashing the private sector, will have to rely on six other providers in the independent sector.
“All for a proposed saving of just £400,000. It’s not just those with a learning difficulty who may lose out but also the parents and carers when they get no respite from caring.”
At a People Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday 19 February, the Brighton and Hove Parent Carers’ Council (PaCC) interim lead Fiona England said that the day centre had capacity for at least 24 people.
The proposed closure would affect 21 adults, mostly in their forties, fifties and sixties.
But 17 eligible young people are due to leave full-time education in the summer and their transition from children’s services to adult social care was already a source of concern. Closure of the day centre would add to that concern.
Mrs England also raised concerns that other service providers lacked the capacity to absorb and meet the need of those currently cared for at Wellington House.
A petition started on the Change.org website – Save Wellington House Learning Disability Day Centre in Brighton and Hove – had more than 1,700 signatures at the time of writing.
