Buckinghamshire Council is ‘targeting the most vulnerable in society’ carers have warned as the authority tries to shut centres for disabled adults to save money.

The council is currently consulting on its recently announced plans to repurpose or sell its day centres in Buckingham, Burnham, Hillcrest in High Wycombe and Seeleys House in Beaconsfield.

The council consultation on the plans is available to view here: https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/adult-social-care/better-lives-in-our-communities/

It is proposing to deliver its ‘short breaks’ service from three remaining sites: Aylesbury Opportunity Centre, the Spring Valley Day Centre in High Wycombe and the Chesham Short Breaks Centre.

The council argues it must save £250,000 on adult social care day opportunities in 2024/25, with even more savings next year, and argues some centres are poorly attended, do not provide value for money and that services could continue to be provided elsewhere.

However, families and carers have told the Bucks Free Press that closing the centres would be a huge blow for the adults who rely on them.

Hazel Howe said: “It is always us, the parent and carers, and our loved ones, who are the most vulnerable in society that are having to pick up the pieces and fight all the time.”

Her son Thomas, who uses a wheelchair, has severe epilepsy and other disabilities and has visited the Burnham centre for 12 and a half years.

She said: “For him to move to another site would have a detrimental on his wellbeing. It took him a year when he transitioned from school when he was 19 to settle here.”

Speaking after the families held up banners at the Burnham site, reading ‘save our centres’, she explained Chesham may not be appropriate for adults with greater mobility needs.

She said: “On two floors, you are not going to get 20-odd wheelchair users over there. They’ll never be able to get out. Here, it is on a flat, they go out into the village.

“And the building is absolutely wonderful. It’s got all specialist hoists. It’s got matts, a physio area, sensory room. It’s got a big kitchen training room.”

Eugene Tunney’s son James has severe learning difficulties and uses a wheelchair as he cannot walk independently.

James uses the Burnham centre, as well as the overnight respite at Seeleys, and benefits from physiotherapy and the activities at the centre, as well as being able to use a walker to move around, which he ‘loves as it gives him freedom’.

Eugene claimed the council’s plans to shut the centres would be ‘lifechanging’, because they provide a ‘break’ not only for James, but also for his family.

He said: “It is essential that this continues and what they’re suggesting is closing all these centres down. That means there’ll be nothing in south Bucks for us. Aylesbury is a nice centre, but it is too far away.”

Tina Burdock’s 30-year-old daughter Paige has been visiting the centre since she was 19 and has known some of its users since she was five years old after they attended school together.

She said: “She comes here everyday because she likes to be with her friends and interact and have social activities. She just loves it.”

Paige has lunch at the centre and takes part in structured activities throughout the day, including going out for walks and using the sensory room.

Tina said the centre ‘meets all the needs’ of her daughter, who has seizures and uses multiple pieces of equipment, including a walker to move around so that she does not hurt herself.

The mum, who only lives nine minutes from the centre, said her ‘only option’ would be for Paige to attend one of the remaining centres if the one at Burnham closed.

She said: “For us, travelling isn’t really very helpful, because she has a lot of seizures when travelling, so by the time I actually reach somewhere like Chesham, the chances are she will be too exhausted from the seizures she had travelling there to be able to stay.”

Neil Blackman, 58, who has been visiting the Burnham centre for 40 years, said he and his friends relied on the services there.

He said: “This is a nice place, with nice staff. All of it is fine and I want it back to normal. I love it here. I love all the staff.”

Neil’s mum, Isobel Hallsmith from Burnham, explained she was worried about the potential loss of the knowledge and experience of the staff at the centre.

She said: “When they go, that experience, that knowledge and that skill will be lost because once you move into agency support, however caring, that rarely brings the knowledge, experience or the support.”

Isobel explained the centre gave the families a valuable break from caring for their adult children.

She said: “The families here vary in the needs of their sons and daughters, but also their needs, because the centre provides respite time where they can do other things.

“This is a beautiful resource. The building has been improved vastly in the last few years at huge cost. All of the changes they are suggesting around moving out to Chesham, where the numbers are likely to be too high, you can provide here at lower cost.”

The council consultation on the plans is available to view here: https://yourvoicebucks.citizenspace.com/adult-social-care/better-lives-in-our-communities/