Carers unite against day centre closures

Planit Carers, a leading organisation for carers and families in the city, called on Glasgow councillors to grant a reprieve to the Hinshaw, Berryknowes and Summerston facilities.

The closures are part of the city's plan for "personalisation" of social care services which campaigners have criticised as a cover for cuts.

A member of Planit Carers told the Star: "The council wants to push through a bogus consultation over the next four weeks running up to Christmas - without an ethical consultation process and with no information in easy-read or DVD format for people with learning disabilities.

"We believe the cuts being made by the council are fundamental and irreversible and will have a long-lasting and negative impact on the learning disability community throughout Glasgow.

"Our Planit Carers meeting last night was packed out. Families are very angry at the methods used by Glasgow City Council to make these cuts. Not even the least sceptical could describe the current process as a consultation."

Evelyn MacIver, another active member of the group, said: "I have been a carer for many years, and I am totally opposed to closure of the day centres."

The proposals by the City Council will see current day care services removed for up to 320 service users. After the three day centres close, just four will be left to service the whole of Glasgow.

Ian Hood of Learning Disability Alliance Scotland said: "The reality of the situation is that it is the personalisation service reform agenda that is unfair."

Mr Hood explained that the system is stacked against the service users.

"The 'resource allocation system' they use was established on the basis of a sample of users in the East End of the city - but with those who had the most expensive packages removed. This resulted in the RAS being arbitrarily reduced by 20 per cent.

"Our concern now is that the new policy is already decided and that this consultation was simply to rubber stamp the process. It as if Glasgow has started with the answer first - close three centres - when they should have started with an assessment of people's needs."