Carers protest to save day centre as Birmingham City Council decides their future
Four adult day centres could close in Birmingham.
Families and carers will lobby the Birmingham City Council cabinet meeting today (Oct 14th).
It is after they announced potential cuts to 4 of their adult day centres in a bid to save money.
They' will decide the future of these centres today.
The crisis-hit council wants to save nearly £2million from it's day centre budget this year by deleting staff vacancies.
The affected day centres are: Beeches GOLDD in Great Barr, Fairway in Kings Norton, Harborne and Heartlands.
Birmingham City Council said that those affected by the cuts would get moved to one of the remaining centres.
They said that this would provide better quality services despite initial short-term disruption.
No staff will lose their jobs either.
**_"It's our lifeline"- Jean Cross, carer_**
Jean Cross's brother uses one of the day centres. She said: "It's not as simple as picking him up and putting him in another day centre."
Robert Mason is non-verbal and paralysed down one side. He also suffers with epilepsy and autism.
He has been with Harborne day centre for 43 years.
"It is our lifeline. If I didn't get those five hours to do my shopping and have time to myself, he'd have to go into full-time residential care.
"He cannot be left. So, I'd have no quality of life either," she explained.
**_"No citizens will lose their service, nor staff their jobs"- Birmingham City Council_**
Birmingham City Council Councillor Rob Pocock, cabinet member for health and social care, said: “We have reviewed our day centres service post-pandemic, and it’s clear they are valued by citizens, carers and staff, but that they have declining attendance and needed to offer more flexible and responsive support to citizens.
“We also have a significant financial challenge, with adult social care having to deliver £65m of savings over the next two years.
"The proposals for the service, in addition to delivering savings, is to develop a more flexible, person-centred offer that reflects our key outcomes and principles for citizens, carers and family members.
“We can confirm however, that no citizens will lose their service, nor staff their jobs. Where citizens need to relocate, their right to support would be provided from a different centre.
"Consolidating our existing centres will enable us to widen our offer in line with citizen’s expectations. That means we can then ultimately improve the service our citizens receive,” said Councillor Pocock.