Derbyshire County Council seeking views on day centre closures

The public are being asked for their views on proposals to close eight day centres for people with disabilities.

Derbyshire County Council approved a 12-week consultation at a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

The authority runs 12 days centres, which it says 139 people attend out of the 740 people with learning disabilities or autism it supports.

The council claims the eight centres are under used and closing them would free up cash to redesign the service.

The extra funds would mean increasing the number of staff to support people with disabilities, the authority said.

Councillor Natalie Hoy said: "While we recognise that for people with complex needs a more traditional building-based service may need to form part of their care, for others it may not be the best way to support them to lead fulfilled lives.

"Younger people in particular are already choosing to do other things and we've seen a reduction in the numbers of people wanting to use a day centre, something that was happening even before Covid."

If the closure plans go ahead, the first phase would be to shut Oxcroft, in Bolsover, Renishaw in North East Derbyshire and the joint Ashbourne and Waltham service, based at Ashbourne Library, over three months, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

The second phase would also take place over three months and see the people using Whitemoor Day Centre, in Belper, transferred to Parkwood, in Alfreton.

Day centres at Coal Aston, in North East Derbyshire, Carter Lane, in Shirebrook, Whitwell, in Bolsover, and Newhall Day Centre in South Derbyshire would also close.

Phase three would take six months and involve consolidating the remaining services at Alderbrook, in High Peak, No Limits, in Chesterfield, Outlook, in Erewash, and Parkwood, in Amber Valley.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].