​Council rethinks plans to shut vital disabled day centres

A council has made an eleventh hour u-turn and saved a disabled person’s day centre from closure.

Campaigners say concerted pressure on East Renfrewshire Council forced the about turn after families were told to choose one of two day centres to close in the area.

Families faced the “ridiculous” decision to choose between Thornliebank or Barrhead resource centres as part of the authority’s £20 million, three-year budget savings proposal.

East Renfrewshire Council had launched a consultation but parents and carers said the process pitted each centre against the other, a process with which they felt uncomfortable.

A campaign group, Friends of Thornliebank & Barrhead Resource Centres (pictured), created a Facebook page to encourage others to campaign against the planned closure.

Now the council has confirmed that the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) would be seeking the £90,000 saving elsewhere.

A council spokeswoman said: “The move could see the day centre buildings being used as ‘hubs’ for service users, and also open for wider community use.

“It means day services for people with additional support needs will work more closely with third sector partners to realise a greater quality of life, and offer service users choices which reflect their aspirations.

“The council still has to identify a £90k saving by March 2016, and will work together with service users, their families and third sector partners to achieve this.”

A representative of the Friends group welcomed ERC’s change of direction.

She said: “We have given the council lots of ideas, and we are more than willing to work with them on what can be done in the future.

“It’s a huge u-turn and such an uplift, since this troubling situation has been looming for over two years now.

“We want everyone involved in the centre to know the result, so it would be nice if the council could write to all and let them know what’s happening.”