Haringey care home closures put on hold by scrutiny committee

THE CLOSURE of four residential homes for the elderly and people with learning difficulties must be reconsidered, a panel of councillors said today.

Haringey Council voted to close four centres – Broadwater Lodge in Highham Road, Whitehall Street, The Red House in West Green Road and Cranwood in Woodside Avenue – which provide residential and respite care for nearly 100 people at a meeting last month, in a bid to save £2 million.

But around 50 users of the centres lined up at a mammoth three-and-a-half-hour meeting today to tell a scrutiny committee that the decision was wrong, would not save money, and was possibly illegal.

In a statement to the committee, campaigner Sue Hessel said: “Closing good public sector care homes will not help anyone and it won’t cut costs – you can’t rely on the market to provide good care for those with severe learning difficulties.

“The ‘big society’ cannot be relied on in this situation – for this profoundly needy sector – the fact is that nobody gives out large chunks of money for people with learning difficulties.”

But Councillor Dilek Dogus, cabinet member for adult social services, said that the council had no choice but to shut the centres due to Government cuts which have left the council needing to save money.

She said: “A few people have suggested that we’ve just gone in and made this decision without thinking about these vulnerable people – that is not the case.

“Because of the current financial situation we’ve had no alternative but to look at the cuts we’re talking about today – it was inevitable that front-line services would be affected.”

After questioning campaigners and Cllr Dogus, members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee – an independent body that reviews council decisions – sent the decision back to council leaders.

They said that legal advice from Bindmans – the firm that helped overturn the controversial Wards Corner planning application – showed the decision could be illegal, that more detailed information is needed on what savings will be achieved, and that better consultation was needed with people who use the centres.

The call means that the closure of the four centres is on hold until the cabinet meets in the next fortnight to review the decision.