I have always believed everyone in the community should get a fair deal in life. Fairness for all!

I have called a public meeting to discuss Staffordshire County Councils Consultation on the future of the Day Care Service in Kidsgrove.  The facility on Gloucester Road could face closure leaving people with a wide range of disabilities with nowhere to go.  The meeting shall take place on Thursday 17^th October, 7pm at Kidsgrove Town Hall.  I want everybody to attend including service users, parents, centre staff and general members of the public.  Staffordshire County Council representatives and Social Services will also be invited. 

It has been revealed that only fifty service users access the centre after social workers suddenly stopped referring people to the centre two years ago.  Why did they stop referring?  Was there a plan to close down the centre and therefore the consultation just a smokescreen for what has already been decided?  Cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing, Robbie Marshall has insisted no decision has yet been made to close the centre down but many service users and parents would beg to differ.  It seems to me the demand is out there but people aren’t made aware of the service any longer. 

As I sat through a meeting talking to the parents of disabled adults who use this service I was shocked and appalled at the way they have had the door shut in their faces.  They had lost all faith in those who should be giving them 100% support.  Some had spent 2 hours trying to get in touch with Social Workers so that they could raise their concerns over this consultation.  Instead their calls were transferred all around the County until quite literally they gave up.  Is this really a service that cares about people in need?  Is this putting disabled people first?

We should be building more day care facilities for the disabled, not shutting them down.  Services for the disabled should never be in place to make a profit for shareholders and a private company.  Services like this should be provided by the local authority for those who are in need.  You never know if you or a family member will ever need help from the system in the future.  Would Mr Marshall be confident he would be looked after at the highest possible standards if god forbid anything ever happened to him and he was permanently disabled?

People want and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.  This is a basic human right. 

Kidsgrove Mayor, Cllr Kyle Robinson.