Axing day centre shows new depth of council cuts

A council's decision to close a day care centre for some of its most vulnerable residents is a sign that it is digging much deeper to find savings.

The vote to approve the closure of Helena Lane Day Centre in Ludlow, Shropshire, came just minutes after some of its users and carers had personally handed a petition to council leaders, calling for it to be saved.

The meeting last Wednesday was sombre and heated, with the Liberal Democrat-run authority being accused by one campaigner of "chucking people under a bus".

Council leader Heather Kidd hit back, saying her administration "cared deeply," but had "no other choice" than to cut services.

Only five individuals use the day centre on Hamlet Road, which supports elderly people living with disabilities and dementia, at an annual cost to the council of almost £170,000.

Its "sustained low utilisation and high unit cost" is the reason why the authority wanted it closed and alternative arrangements found for attendees.

Nevertheless, the decision has upset residents who rely on it for care or respite.

"I didn't choose to be disabled," said Tina Aitken, who is a wheelchair user due to a neurological condition that affects muscle control and movement, known as multiple system atrophy.

"My husband needs respite from me, and I need respite from him. Please don't cut our services," she told the BBC outside the council chamber.

At the same meeting of council leaders, known as Cabinet, Shropshire Council agreed to close a second day centre.

Services at Aquamira, in Shrewsbury, which is used by adults who have multiple and profound disabilities, will be relocated to another site in the town to save £71,320 a year.

These cuts are the result of the authority's decision to declare a financial emergency last September due to its inability to deliver a balanced budget.

Without recent government loans worth tens of millions of pounds, the council would have effectively declared itself bankrupt.

In its attempt to rely on less exceptional financial support in future, all services that the council is not legally obliged to provide are to be cut - unless they are financially viable or generate an income.

In other words, the council is heading towards a situation in which it will only deliver the bare minimum.

Even then, the authority has said it will still not have enough money to pay for services, due to a lack of government funding to meet social care demands.

The two day care centres that were axed last week are the starkest examples yet of non-statutory services coming to an end.

"We have the largest deficit [of all local authorities] in the whole country," said deputy leader, Alex Wagner.

"We absolutely can't be providing above and beyond non-statutory services in future.

"If we attempted to, and if we refuse to show the self-awareness and seriousness of the situation that this council is in, then our alternative is the bankruptcy process.

"One of the reasons why we're not in that process right now is because this council has demonstrated a much-enhanced understanding of how severe that situation is," he added.

The council is urging anyone who may be affected by the changes at both Helena Lane and Aquamira day centres to contact it directly.

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