10:58am Wednesday 2nd June 2010
By Oliver Evans
UP to 80 per cent of Buckinghamshire day centres are facing closure under plans unveiled by councils chiefs today.
Buckinghamshire County Council bosses said two or three centres will remain out of 22 open at present. Two smaller facilities would also be provided.
It means five in High Wycombe will shut and Beaconsfield, Denham, Bourne End and Princes Risborough will be left without any centre at all.
The buildings could be used for other council services or sold. Some are owned by charities or companies.
They are proposing three or two buildings in High Wycombe, Chesham or Amersham and Aylesbury. These will be new or refurbished centres.
Two smaller ‘community satellites’ will be at Buckingham and Burnham and ‘offer comparable quality of service’.
Bosses today said the move would provide services ‘appropriate for what people need and want’ – but acknowledged the need to save cash was a factor.
Click here to read an interview with the bosses behind the plans.
Yet concerns have been raised about the plan, including longer journey times for pensioners. Read reaction from charities and watchdogs here.
What do you think? Leave your comments below.
The centres are used by people with learning disabilities and pensioners. About 1,300 people use the centres, which cost £11m to run.
Most are run by the council with some contracted from the independent sector. Other independent day centres not used by the council will not be affected.
The consultation document says Bucks has more older people and efforts must be made to ‘ensure that the services put in place to meet this demand are affordable if they are to be sustainable’.
It says the move will see people #more involved in the community where they live and have a more active role in society'.
A consultation was launched on the plans today (see links, bottom of story, for full details).
There will also be ‘community bases’ at existing facilities such as libraries.
More to come.
The changes would affect the following centres (full list to follow):
Centres in High Wycombe (up to one to remain):
Benjamin Road Day Centre 2 Benjamin Road, High Wycombe HP13 6SP.
Hillcrest Coronation Road, High Wycombe HP12 3RP.
Micklefield Out-reach 5 Micklefield Road, High Wycombe HP13 7JE.
Spring Valley Spring Valley Drive, Hughenden Valley, High Wycombe HP14 4LR.
Wycombe Hills Day Services Orchard House Cressex Link High Wycombe HP12 4BF.
Verney Day Centre Verney Avenue, High Wycombe HP12 3NE.
Princes Risborough (would close under plans):
Red Cross Day Centre Princes Risborough Resource Centre, Clifford Road, Princes Risborough HP27 0DP.
Bourne End:
Bourne End day care unit, Wakeman Road, Bourne End, SL8 5SX.
Chesham and Amersham (up to one to remain):
Endeavour Cameron Road, Chesham HP5 3BP.
Stokebury Centre London Road West, Amersham HP7 0EZ.
South Bucks (only ‘community satellite’ in Burnham proposed to stay):
Burnham Day Services Minniecroft Road, Burnham SL1 7DE.
Seeleys House Day Services Campbell Drive, Knotty Green, Beaconsfield HP9 1TF.
Denham day care unit, Nightingale Way, Denham, Uxbridge, UB9 5JJ.
North Bucks (Thrift farm proposed to stay, up to one to stay in Aylesbury):
Bierton Hill Resource Centre 3 Bierton Road, Aylesbury HP20 1EE.
Hartwell Day Centre Thame Road South, Aylesbury HP21 8TS.
Thrift Farm Buckingham Road, Whaddon MK17 0EQ.
Well Street Centre Well Street, Buckingham MK18 1EN.
Buckingham day care unit, Verney Close, Buckingham, MK18 1JP.
Winslow Centre Park Road, Winslow MK18 3DN.
Haddenham day care unit, Church Way, Haddenham, HP17 8EE.
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