Steve Baker MP vows to help disability learning hub

The Wycombe MP visited Oak Lodge, a skills hub for people with learning disabilities on Friday February 4 to inaugurate the new IT centre and hand out learning certificates – but the group’s CEO took the opportunity to slam the council for not helping them out.

Oak Lodge in High Wycombe provides day centre services to young people with learning disabilities to enhance their skills and provide a positive learning environment, but CEO Shaf Ali said setting it up has been marred with problems.

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Apparently staff had to deal with bailiffs who thought the hub was operating as a shop, forcing the CEO to pay up to get rid of them and the council hasn’t been “helpful at all”, Mr Ali complained.

Mr Ali said: “We’ve asked the council to help but they’re not really interested.”

He said the centre was set up because there was nowhere for young adults with learning disabilities to go after finishing their education.

Steve Baker MP praised the centre’s work at the special event, saying: “To stand here with these young people being looked after so well is very humbling because you can see all the staff really care about what they do and really care about the people they look after and actually try very hard to increase their skills.”

But Mr Ali also felt it was important to highlight the issues they had faced to the MP.

Oak Lodge received confirmation of change of use for the Hub’s space in July 2019 but they were still charged “incorrectly”.

When Mr Ali made several attempts to contact the then-Wycombe District Council there was no communication, he said.

Then in November 2019 the district council advised him to contact Valuation Office (VOA), a government agency in charge of classification of building use and told him it could take up to three months.

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A month later, the bailiffs arrived at the Hub, causing “distress and anxiety” to vulnerable adults with learning disabilities, Oak Lodge claimed.

Throughout 2020, Oak Lodge chased up the case with VOA but were told it can take up to 18 months. They were sent links but no direct support was offered.

Amid the Covid pandemic in September 2020 they contacted the VOA for updates but were unable to reach them by phone and an automated email response said offices were closed.

Finally in February 2021, the VOA advised Oak Lodge that the change of use to correct classification had gone through.

Mr Ali said: “A lot of the councillors and certainly councillors I know in High Wycombe only have self-interest and unless there’s something in there for them they won’t help, so we took it upon ourselves to get through to the right allocation department.”

Mr Baker said: “That’s absolutely not what I want irrespective of the party. I don’t know who you spoke to and it would be invidious to ask for any names when it’s being recorded for the newspapers but obviously that’s not what I want.

“You get elected into Parliament and in council in order to engage in public service.

Steve Baker MP is gifted a card made by an Oak Lodge service-user.

“So if anybody’s failing to respond to a reasonable request from you for help with something like this that’s a council matter and that’s obviously not tolerable.

“I’m afraid there are too many people at all levels of politics including in Parliament who are more interested in status than they are service and I’m not willing to accept it.”

Mr Baker told Bucks Free Press he planned to help the learning hub with its funding woes by connecting them to Bucks Council’s Cabinet member Angela Macpherson to discuss the funding process. 

John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources, Property and Assets at Bucks Council, said in response to a request for comment: "Insource Select Limited took occupation of Units 10&11 The Chiltern Centre from 1 April 2019. It was previously the main town centre Post Office situated within one of the main shopping centres.

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"The owners made an application for Retail Relief on the premises which we refused as the property was not being used for retail purposes. At this point the government's Valuation Office Agency (VOA) advised that although Insource Select Limited weren’t physically using the property as retail, it was still capable of being used as retail and was in a retail location, so if they wanted a change to the valuation it would have to go through the check and challenge process - and this is what they were advised to do.

"The regulations state that payments must be made in accordance with the current assessment in the rating list while any check and challenge is being dealt with. As payments were not received the matter proceeded through the recovery process and payment was received following enforcement action in 2019.

"For the following financial year, payment was made in accordance with the statutory instalments and in March 2021 we were instructed to reduce the rateable value from £22,000 to £9,700 and change the description from a shop to a day care centre. We are unclear why there was a delay in the VOA dealing with the challenge, but legally, we cannot make any changes to the rating list until we are directed to do so.

"On 15 March 2021, a refund was issued to the company for the overpayment of rates. For the current financial year, the company have been billed based on the new rateable value."

A VOA spokesperson said: “Although we cannot comment on individual cases, we always try to resolve outstanding cases as quickly as possible and keep customers informed throughout.”

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