Adult day centres in Buckinghamshire to close

Hazel Howe says her son Thomas loves visiting the day centre at Burnham

Politicians have voted to close three of a county's day centres for adults with complex needs.

Buckinghamshire Council's cabinet agreed to shut the facilities in Burnham and High Wycombe, and repurpose a centre in Buckingham.

The authority said the day centre service was outdated and relied too much on "building-based care".

Hazel Howe, whose son uses the Burnham facility, said the fight to save it would continue.

Thomas Howe, a wheelchair user who has severe epilepsy and other disabilities, has been a regular at the centre for 13 years.

His mother described its staff as "amazing", saying they took her son on trips to the park or a coffee shop, and organised activities such as arts and crafts or cookery.

Ms Howe added that her son's health would suffer if the centre was closed.

"I know that his seizures are going to increase; he's going to have sleepless nights with anxiety and stress," she said.

Protests have taken place at the Burnham centre

At Tuesday's meeting, the cabinet member for health and wellbeing, Conservative Isobel Darby, told councillors: "There's too much building-based provision.

"It's not required any more because, over time, social work has changed and people are encouraged to do things in the community."

Carl Jackson, the Tory cabinet member for the environment, asked whether the 43 users of the three day centres would get any help with moving to another facility.

Darby said: "Everybody will have a named social worker and they will have an individual plan.

"They will have one-to-one support."

'A chess board'

The Burnham day centre and Hillcrest in High Wycombe will be sold, and the Buckingham building will become a college facility for students with special educational needs and disabilities.

A proposal to close another centre, Seeley's House in Beaconsfield, has been scrapped and councillors agreed to set up an overnight respite service in Aylesbury.

Before the cabinet voted, Conservative leader Steven Broadbent proposed that the public sale process for Hillcrest and Burnham should not begin for another two months to give families time to adjust.

His suggestion was added to the main proposal which was unanimously agreed by the cabinet.

The day centre is located alongside the doctors' surgery in Burnham

Ms Howe said campaigners were taking legal advice on a possible judicial review of the closures.

She said: "The people who have made this decision have no experience or knowledge of our loved ones' needs.

"We will not be dictated to. The fight goes on."

Darby also said after the meeting: "We're going to have facilities which are fit for purpose [and] we're going to have sufficient funds to maintain them for the future."

She urged carers who were unhappy to "bear with us, listen to us, talk to us".