Hugh Bayley calls for council pledge on services

8:23am Friday 24th November 2006

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AN MP has criticised a decision to close down two York day care centres without first consulting users and their carers.

York MP Hugh Bayley said City of York Council should now "put things right" by consulting fully on how services at Yearsley Bridge should be replaced elsewhere.

He also said the authority must ensure that Yearsley stays open until new and better replacement facilities are in place.

But this comment was today branded "ridiculous" by council leader Steve Galloway.

He said: "Of course we are going to provide better facilities. No thanks to him or the Labour Government."

He said full consultation would start at a series of meetings next month.

The Labour MP spoke out after two constituents contacted him to raise concerns about the decision to close down one centre attended by about 70 learning disabled adults, and an adjacent centre for about 150 physically handicapped adults, both in Huntington Road.

One of the complaints came from David and Pauline Waterworth, of Tang Hall, whose "mentally handicapped" son, Darren, goes to Yearsley Bridge three days a week, and who told The Press earlier this month how they had been "gobsmacked" by news of the closure.

Mr Bayley said the Government had provided significant extra resources for social services in York and he was pleased the council was planning to use this money to improve the service.

However, he said: "The council should really have consulted people who use the centre before taking the decision to close it. Now they should put things right by consulting on the replacement plans and should not close Yearsley until new and better facilities are in place."

But Coun Galloway said the Government had not provided sufficient additional grant to allow the council to deal with a dramatic increase in demand for social services, which partly followed improvements in medical technology.

He also argued that, rather than closing the centre, the council was replacing facilities currently provided in early 20th century buildings with new services in a modern environment - providing 21st century standards of care.

He said it was possible new facilities might be at the Yearsley/Huntington Road sites or elsewhere, and might incorporate some of the existing buildings.

However, he said the working assumption was that services would be moving out of buildings that were no longer fit for purpose.

He stressed that consultation with users would start next month.

He said: "This is ample time for users to be fully involved in the decisions that have to be made before the roll out of new facilities, which cannot happen before the middle of 2008 at the earliest."