Cabinet Member for Public Health and Adult Social Care, Councillor Shabina Qayyum, has announced that the proposal to close the Industrial Hub run by City College Peterborough has been taken off the table to allow for further consideration.
After spending the past few weeks speaking to and listening to service users and their families, Councillor Qayyum has asked council officers and City College Peterborough to halt the proposal to close the unit.
In the meantime, she has asked officers to engage directly with service users and their families to look at how a new service could be developed which incorporates what they like about the current service, with a new offer which provides greater opportunities and a financial saving.
The council announced in March that it had begun consulting on the closure of the hub to deliver a saving of £500,000 in its day opportunities budget which was agreed as part of this year’s budget. This is because the Industrial Hub has been identified as an area where there is the potential for better outcomes for people using the service through other models.
The council will still be spending £5m to provide day opportunities for people with learning disabilities, including £1.7m with City College.
However, service users spoke out and said they felt fearful about the change and the potential loss of service.
As a result, the council will be engaging with service users and their families in due course on the development of a different proposal.
Councillor Qayyum said: “In recent weeks I have embarked upon a listening exercise with the Industrial Hub service users and their families, and together with our Adult Social Care officers and the college we will be looking at various models of operation with the consensus of the users of the hub and their families.
“I can safely say that the decision to close the hub has been taken off the table for now and a period of thoughtful interaction with all involved will now take place.
“I realise the distress this has caused those who have used the hub and their families. has been a real insight to see how the hub has made an impact on the lives.
“It is a priority for the council to work with residents with learning difficulties to encourage and facilitate their independence and wellbeing and assist them into meaningful employment. This is what is driving the change that we want to make to this service, and of course the financial saving we must deliver to be able to continue meeting the needs of residents across the whole city.”