Wellington House in north Brighton, known locally as Welly, is the city's last council-run day centre for adults with complex needs, autism and learning disabilities. It serves 21 regular attendees, some of whom have attended for up to 40 years. The centre provides essential care and respite for carers, but faces closure as Brighton and Hove city council aims to save £400,000 a year.
Closures driven by budget cuts
The council argues that individual needs can be met through independent sector services. However, critics say alternatives are unsuitable and may lead to more costly residential care. The official consultation ends on 7 July, but campaigners fear a fait accompli.
Lou Vaughan, whose autistic brother Matt has attended Welly for 10 years, says closure would be devastating. "Like any autistic person, any transition for Matt isn't simple. There are so many micro things to worry about."
National crisis in adult social care
Andy Burnham, incoming prime minister, has pledged to fix adult social care. About a third of spending on adult social care in England goes to disabled adults of working age, yet provision is shrinking. ITV News found a 41% drop in adult day centres across England since 2010. Mencap reported in 2012 that almost one in three councils had closed day services since 2009, and one in four learning-disabled people spent less than one hour outside their home daily.
Closures have hit Bristol, Windsor, Mansfield, Oldham, Tenbury Wells, and Burnham in Buckinghamshire. In Malton, North Yorkshire, parents fight to save Cauwood centre, serving eight people, two since 1991. Caroline Garrod, whose daughter Natasha depends on it, says: "But those eight people matter. It's their lives, and they go because they love it."
Symbolism and future
In Harborne, Birmingham, a former day centre with 60 regulars is set to become a Lidl supermarket. Burnham's government must prioritize keeping such spaces open, modernizing them as hubs if needed. As one woman in Makerfield said: "People should be kind." Stopping the relentless shutdown of shared spaces is a crucial start.
