Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED: That all items be considered in public

Councillor Allan Kauffman attended as a Ward Councillor in support of the petition and stated that it was important that a solution was found which addressed the concerns of the petitioners.   

Concerns, comments and suggestions raised by the petition organiser at the meeting included the following:

• The lead petitioner thanked everyone that had supported the petition and advised that the first that she had heard of the proposals was from the Gazette.  As a result, she had submitted a petition with 1,812 signatures objecting to the proposed closure of the Phoenix Day Centre on 9 December 2011 (the consultation deadline);
• The petition organiser stated that there had only been three consultation meetings and one Disability Assembly held in relation to the proposals.  However, the petitioners had not been sent copies of any minutes from these meetings;
• Parents attending the meetings had been confused, angry, anxious and distressed and clearly objected to the proposals.  It was thought that issues raised by the parents at these meetings were either inadequately addressed or not addressed at all;
• The closure of the three day centres had been presented at these meetings as a ‘done deal’.  Parents had not been asked for their opinions and no alternative options were offered – the only opinion that was solicited from parents was what facilities they thought ought to be provided at Queens Walk;
• The petition organiser queried why three purpose-built day centres were being closed and why the Queens Walk venue had specifically been chosen to replace them;
• Petitioners stated that the Council was closing the Parkview and Woodside Centres, shutting the Phoenix Centre and selling the whole Bourne Court site to raise money to build more supported housing.  They believed that although Queens Walk had been identified as an alternative site, the site was not big enough so the number of eligible users would have to be reduced.  Furthermore, petitioners believed that the Queens Walk site was miles from anywhere with poor transport links;
• Concern was expressed that there would be a maximum of 70 people that would qualify for a place at the proposed new facility with only 30-35 being able to use it each day.  It was thought that this number was a guesstimate as the service users and carers had not yet been assessed;
• Further concern was expressed that, according to the FAQ document, even eligible individuals might need to reduce the number of days that they attended the proposed new centre.  The petition organiser advised that some parents and carers would have to give up work if there was a reduction in the number of days a service user was allowed to attend the centre;
• Although the Petition Hearing report implied that the Phoenix Day Centre was now less popular, the petitioners had read that service users in residential homes had been stopped from attending the Centre as their care homes were now supposed to provide for day care.  It was queried whether these homes had the same facilities as the current  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.