Four day centres may shut in council cuts plan

Four day centres could close across Birmingham as part of the city council's saving proposals, it has emerged.

Beeches GOLDD, Harborne, Fairway and Heartlands would shut to "consolidate the service and transform" offers for residents, Birmingham City Council said.

The plans have been recommended for approval, with support instead being provided through five remaining day centres that would be "fully staffed and with maximum attendance'.

Councillor Rob Pocock said he understood people had an "attachment to the day centres", however they had "low attendance rate" and were usually only about half full.

The centres provide adult social care services to help people lead "fulfilling lives", the council said.

They also provide opportunities for people with dementia, disabilities and autism.

Jean Cross, from Edgbaston, is trying to save Harborne Day Centre, where her brother has been going for 43 years

“To uproot Robert after 43 years in a day centre and put him in a new one, it’s devastating for Robert and me,” she said.

She said her brother, who needed 24-hour care, had an infection as a child that had left him completely paralysed on one side and he could not walk or talk.

“It’s a big upheaval for him," she said, "he knows all the surroundings, he knows all the staff, he knows all the service users. They’re all friends here.”

Ms Cross said: “Obviously, they [the council] just don’t understand learning disabilities. They think it’s just going to be easy to take Robert out of Harborne and just put him into one of the five remaining day centres. Well it’s not as easy as that.”

Wendy Collymore, whose father has dementia and goes to Fairway Day Centre in Kings Norton, said: “It breaks my heart because day centres are so essential. We have an ageing population.

“They are going to be needed and you know they will not build new day centres, so people like my dad – they’re telling him ‘you don’t really matter’.”

In February, the council agreed to save £1.95m for 2024-25 and £3.35m in 2025-26 against the nine day centres.

The plans follow the authority's consultation on the future of the council-run centres and an independent review that was approved in April 2023.

Mr Pocock said the authority needed to "save on costs and the remaining centres do need to be fully utilised".

He stressed that no staff would be made redundant and an additional range of options would be made available.

“Re-location plans for citizens would be person-centred and staff familiar to them would be available to plan their move in a sensitive and respectful way," he said.

"Families of citizens would also be provided with the support they need as a part of the relocation, including assessments for carers, information and advice."

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