Fears for Hampshire care centres under council review

Carers for people with learning disabilities fear centres may be closed in a council review of services.

Hampshire County Council’s cabinet member for adult social care Councillor Felicity Hindson will make a decision next Friday on how care services will be run.

David Townrow’s son Peter, 25, has been using Gosport Day Services, in Captains Close, for two years.

Peter is autistic and visits the centre four days a week to do activities such as cooking, gardening and archery.

Mr Townrow, of San Diego Road, Gosport, said: ‘The centre has recently had a letter saying they are being evaluated.

‘Staff think it could be an excuse to close them down and they have no one to stand up for them – they are concerned about their jobs.

‘There are 30 young adults that go to this centre and is has been running for 15 years. It is purpose-built and good at what it does.’

A report on the review is due to be released tomorrow and the meeting is taking place on Friday, November 26 at The Castle, in Winchester, at 2pm.

Mr Townrow, who works as a post office supervisor added: ‘They (the council) want to put the users out to work.

‘If this day care centre is removed then people may have to lose their job and become a carer for their children.

‘At the moment Peter has done gardening, but he needs hand on hand attention, so I don’t know how he is going to work.

Cllr Hindson said: ‘We are at an exciting stage with the learning disability centres, but I’m not talking about any locations at this stage, because it is not the final stage.

‘The report papers haven’t been finished yet so we don’t want to mis-inform anyone.

‘But we are going to be moving forward with the learning disability centres.

‘People with learning disabilities and their families have told us they want to live ordinary lives, they want jobs and their own homes, and this will mean changing the learning disability provision across Hampshire.

‘It is the intention of the county council to lead the way in this development by using our existing resources as effectively as possible.’