Slough mother fears another facility won't be found for her disabled son

Last week, cabinet members decided to push ahead with closing five day centres operated by the council and opt for services run by other providers, such as the private sector, tailored towards the users’ needs following assessments.

The centres provide care and activities to 107 residents who have learning disabilities and autism. 61 members of staff are likely to be made redundant or redeployed into similar roles elsewhere.

The following centres will close:

• Lavender Court
• Respond (short-term breaks service)
• Priors Day Service
• Phoenix Day Service
• The Pines Day Service

READ MORE: Slough Council to push ahead with day centre closures

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Anne Kipling, whose son has been using the service at Lavender Court since 1993, fears there won’t be another residential facility, adding it is “really sad” the family unit living in the bungalow will be lost.

Lavender Court provides care for seven people with learning disabilities and is nearby Respond, which provides respite care for eight people, on Priors Close.

She said: “There are not that many facilities like this in the whole of the country. I know that because when I found Lavender Court, we were lucky enough to get a place there, we looked all over the country for residential facilities for adult learning disabled people.

“That’s why I worry because all I can see is that they are going to look round, find nothing for them individually or collectively and slot them in wherever.”

Overview of Lavender Court and Respond on Priors Close

Ms Kipling also said this was “history repeating itself” after the council were eyeing to outsource Lavender Court back and change from residential care into ‘supported living’ in 2015 to save £400,000.

This involved huge renovation works at the home, which Ms Kipling slammed as “outrageous” and a “waste of millions of pounds” considering the home will close.

This move will save the council about £1.1m by next year and cabinet members were warned “to be realistic” with its “finite” adult social care budget.

She said: “It says a lot about a council that they can’t ring-fence some money for seven people. It’s not like if it’s hundreds of these people they are having to care for and they are the most vulnerable residents in Slough – but they want to save money and they don’t care how they affect their standard of living as their behaviour for the last five years shows.”

READ MORE: Closing Slough day centres is an 'attack on vulnerable people'

At both the cabinet and scrutiny meetings, council officers in adult social care were pressed if they made sure every resident and their family members were involved in the consultation process, which lasted a month.

Council officers say they believe only “a few” people haven’t been contacted but everyone on their system was notified of the consultation.

However, Ms Kipling told the LDRS she only found out about the closures from an ex-member of staff who was only made aware by an Observer article.

She added: “My son is about to have his home taken from him and I find out through the newspaper and then they pretend that it wasn’t true.”