Labour backlash in Birmingham over divisive plans for 'lifeline' service

Controversial plans to close four adult social care day centres in Birmingham have sparked a backlash among Labour politicians. Last week saw tempers flare as family members and carers of service users angrily interrupted a cabinet meeting to condemn the leadership at the city council.

They then gathered outside in Victoria Square in protest against the proposals to close four adult social care day centres - Beeches GoLDD, The Fairway, Harborne and Heartlands. The centres provide support and opportunities to make friends and gain new skills for those with learning and physical disabilities, autism and dementia.

As well as the closures, the relocation of services to the five remaining day centres in Birmingham was approved by cabinet members on Tuesday, October 15. It is the latest service slashed after the Labour-run city council became engulfed by a financial crisis and passed a painful and alarming budget earlier this year.

READ MORE: Birmingham City Council urged to ‘change course fast’ over day centre cuts

Last week’s decision has proved deeply divisive, attracting criticism from across the political spectrum - including from those in the Labour Party. Preet Gill, the MP for Edgbaston, is among the Labour politicians who have been left concerned, saying she was “extremely disappointed” to hear about plans to close Harborne day centre.

“The centre is crucial for carers, who urgently require respite care for their loved ones, and for over 60 citizens with complex needs,” she wrote in a statement. She said it was “vital” the centre remained open because of the specialist support it provided residents.

“Many of my constituents have written to me to express their clear objections to its closure, stating that the centre is a lifeline and is dearly loved by carers and users,” she said. “It’s vital that care is close to communities so that those who need it can access it.”

She said she would fight alongside residents and carers and working to find a “viable solution” for the community. Within the city council itself, a number of Labour councillors are hoping for further debate on the matter and have requested the decision is “called in” to the Health and Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

Scrutiny has the power to call in the executive to revisit a decision for those which have been made but not implemented. The Labour councillors in question are Jane Jones (Stockland Green), Barbara Dring (Oscott), Carmel Corrigan (King’s Norton North) and Lauren Rainbow (Quinton).

The Conservatives have also requested the decision be “called in”, with Coun Deirdre Alden (Edgbaston) saying last week: “We’ll continue to fight to keep these day centres open and call on the committee to tell the Labour administration it needs to change course and fast". Coun Rob Pocock (Sutton Vesey), who is overseeing the local authority’s transformation, has defended the closure plans and said many councils no longer ran in-house day centres.

“I’m pleased we have found the money to keep five going across the city,” he said in a previous statement. “But we need to save on costs and the remaining centres need to be fully utilised.

“Citizens using our centres have said they want to have a wider variety of activities outside the day centres and this is what we are also developing, as part of a more modern 21st century service". He said the package as a whole meant anyone wanting to use a council day centre would still be able to and that no staff were being made redundant.

“I understand people will have an attachment to the day centre they usually attend but unfortunately our centres have a low attendance rate, with most only around half full,” Coun Pocock continued. “While no current users will lose their service, and their loved ones will not lose their respite support, we recognise attending a different centre could be difficult for some.

“Citizens would be fully supported to relocate to an alternative service of their choice which would be equipped to meet their physical, behavioural, sensory and emotional needs. There is plenty of capacity in the other centres, meaning more citizens attending, creating a more stimulating environment with more opportunities to socialise.”

He added that re-location plans for citizens would be “person-centred” and that a social worker would also support every citizen affected by the proposal. During last week’s cabinet meeting, council leader John Cotton (Glebe Farm and Tile Cross) said they would continue to work with residents and those who use the centres during the consultation process.

The council has found itself facing financial woes due to Birmingham-specific factors, such as the disastrous implementation of a new IT and finance system and an equal pay fiasco, as well as other issues such as the rising demand for services and funding cuts. During the blame game which followed, Coun Cotton has previously acknowledged mistakes made in Brum but also pointed to “14 years of neglect from the previous Tory government, combined with major rises in demand and cost-led pressures”.

Meanwhile Conservative politicians, including former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, have highlighted the mistakes made by the council's Labour administration.

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