Reason for Yearsley Bridge Centre closure revealed

10:31am Saturday 13th January 2007

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YORK's council has revealed why it failed to consult people over the controversial plans to close a day care centre - it knew they would object.

City of York Council chiefs say it would have been unfair to ask parents and customers what they thought when they would have said they did not want Yearsley Bridge Centre to shut, and the authority had already decided to close it down.

However, officers said they apologised if people "felt they were misled" by letters from the council about the proposals to close the centre, which is attended each week by more than 70 adults with learning disabilities.

But Sue Williams, the mother of Catrina Williams, who is blind and physically and mentally handicapped and regularly attends Yearsley Bridge, said she was annoyed by the council's comments.

She asked: "What kind of consultation is it when they avoid asking people the most important question? I don't think this is the way they handled the consultation over other things in York like Terry's, or the Barbican.

"I suspect this has happened because of the type of people who attend Yearsley, who can't answer for themselves. I feel they have been ridden roughshod over by the council."

The council's comments came in a written report on a series of meetings with customers and their parents and carers, held last month.

The Press reported prior to the meetings how some parents were furious because no one had asked them for their views before it was decided to close the centre in Huntington Road.

The report lists a series of questions posed at the meetings and the answers given by officers. One question posed was: "Why were people not consulted before the decision was made to close the centre?" The answer given was: "If we had asked, then people would have said that they didn't want the centre to close, and because it is part of the modernisation process, it would have been unfair to ask, when we knew that the centre would be closing. The issue is not about closing the centre but about how we move forward."

Hydrotherapy vital part of care

SUE WILLIAMS has deep fears that her severely-disabled daughter might lose invaluable hydrotherapy sessions when Yearsley Bridge shuts.

Sue, of Middlethorpe, York, spoke out in The Press in November after the paper revealed that the council was planning to close Yearsley Bridge.

She said her blind and physically and mentally handicapped daughter Catrina, 45, used the centre's hydrotherapy pool twice a week.

It was vital that alternative hydrotherapy sessions were provided elsewhere if the centre shut. The council said then that such concerns could be raised at the meetings with carers and customers held last month.

Today's report reveals that, after such concerns were raised at the meetings, the answer given was: "We are working with different departments at the moment to make sure that this is addressed.

"There are people who may need hydrotherapy as part of their care plan, so it is very important. There are lots of negotiations going on at the moment. We will keep people up to date when we are clearer."

Mrs Williams said she was pleased by the acknowledgement there might be a need for hydrotherapy, but was concerned there was still no guarantee it would be provided.

She also thought it might take up to two years to provide a new pool elsewhere, and this might mean a gap in provision after Yearsley shut.

"It's closing in less than 18 months time now," Sue pointed out.

Handling of closure is defended

SOCIAL services boss Bill Hodson today defended the handling of the Yearsley Bridge closure.

Mr Hodson, the council's director of housing and adult social services, said that, in line with Government guidance, the council was looking to modernise and improve the way it cared for and supported adults with learning and physical disabilities. This involved moving away from institutionalised, large day centres such as Yearsley Bridge, to providing individual care packages that directly meet the needs of individuals. This could involve participation in a wide range of day care activities in the community, depending on individual requirements.

He added that the provision of an alternative to the existing hydrotherapy pool was being "actively pursued".