COUNCIL LETS VULNERABLE DOWN
Councillors in the West of the County are urging Shropshire Council to review their policy on closing Day Care Centres for the elderly and vulnerable following a stinging rebuke from the Court of Appeal last week.
The Council were taken to court for failing to consult on the closure of Hartley’s Day Centre (for people with learning disabilities) in Shrewsbury. The ruling could also have implications for other day centres covering Bishops Castle, Chirbury and Worthen.
The three Lord Justices of the Court of Appeal concluded that the Council had failed to consult the elderly and vulnerable residents and their carers about the closure of Hartleys Day Centre and that this was unlawful. The Court said:
This ruling means that future decisions by any council (not just Shropshire) to close a particular service (including day centre or a residential care home) will require that:
• The people affected – users, carers, staff etc – should know about the proposal well before the final decision, and the reasons for it
• They should have a reasonable time to put their views across;
• The responses should be seriously considered before any decision is reached; and
• Failure to do this will mean that any decision taken is unlawful.
People with learning difficulties attend ed this centre from all over Shropshire.