Abergavenny: Council 'wrong' on day centre closure plan

People gathered outside the Tudor Centre in Abergavenny to make their feelings known

A council leader has apologised after the closure of a day centre for adults with learning disabilities was announced without consultation.

The closure of Tudor Day Centre in Abergavenny sparked a public backlash and a review has since been agreed.

Monmouthshire council leader Mary Ann Brocklesby said: "I can categorically state we got the process wrong".

Her apology was greeted with applause from service users and supporters during a meeting at County Hall in Usk.

A review is being held into the My Day, My Life support service for adults with learning disabilities in north and central Monmouthshire.

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Tudor Thomas, the cabinet member for social care, who had taken last November's decision to permanently close the centre, confirmed his commitment to await the outcome of the review.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said he would join the leader in apologising but would not resign, despite calls for him to do so.

'Warm, safe space'

Any proposed decision will be examined by the council's people scrutiny committee before a final decision is taken.

A report into the number of people using the Tudor Centre before it was closed at the start of the first lockdown found a drop in users.

It concluded that the service was now focused on involving users more in the community.

But supporters asked during the meeting whether the council had considered if others could also make use of the centre as a community hub.

Among them was Chris Edmondson, who said her husband had suffered a brain injury and would benefit from a "warm, safe space".

"If my husband wants to talk to people with similar problems he has to go to Llandough Hospital, 30 miles away," she said.