Four adult day centres to close in Birmingham despite protest outside council house
Birmingham City Council announced the closures this morning.
Birmingham City Council has announced the closure of four adult day care centres in a meeting this morning (15 Oct).
Protesters gathered outside the council house to urge councillors to consider a U-turn on the proposals to close Beeches GOLDD, Harborne, Fairway, and Heartlands.
Jean Cross' brother, Robert, goes to Harborne every day for five hours. She said: "If I lost my five hours, Robert would probably have to go to residential care because he can't be left. So I can't say I'll leave him in the house and go shopping for an hour. Robert cannot be left.
"I'd have to quality of life either."
The council said they would close the centres that are "half-full" and merge them, which would improve the quality of care. It also announced a place at another centre will be available for those affected by the closures.
However, Jean said people with special educational needs and disabilities may not be able to simply go to another centre.
"Although he's Robert is non-verbal, he can take in his surroundings, and obviously, he's had those surroundings for 43 years. Just picking him up and putting him in another day centre, they think it's so simple. But it's not. It's not simple," she said.
Jean continued the Harborne day centre gives Robert a better quality of life. She said: "In the summer, they'll go bowling, they'll go to the pictures, they go out for meals, they'll go for walks in the park. So, it just gives Robert a more quality of life than what I can give him."
The councils also said no one will lose their jobs over the cuts.