STOP PRESS!!

 

A Public Demonstration & Lobby will be held to protest against this cruel proposal.

 

Monday 26th November - Ealing Town Hall New Broadway, Ealing 5.30 - 7pm.

 

Please come and join us to air your disgust at this lamentable decision.

Ealing Disabled Community Shocked As Two Day Centres for the Learning Disabled Are Proposed To Close and over 100 jobs are Put At Risk.

In shocking news revealed of late the London Borough of Ealing has made proposals to cabinet for swingeing cuts across most departments.
As is common few managerial posts are affected but most damaging of all is the proposal to axe two Day Centres for those with disabilities. 

The Stirling Road Day Centre in Stirling Rd, Acton has served those with learning disabilities for more than 30 years.

Stirling Road Centre is a day service, meeting the needs of adults with a learning disability. It provides a wide range of services, which include sport and leisure, health promotion, community based projects, work-based training and travel assistance.

The service is provided to promote and support people to become more independent and access their community through community-based projects.

Attendees of this centre will see their daily activities curtailed, the centre closed (and as seems most likely sold off) and are to be given a 'personal budget' to 'buy' their own day activities. Since this will inevitably cost them much more than at present they will see less and less of the 'outside world' and their daily lives (not to mention friendships built up over years) will dissolve.

Learning Curve centre, based in Roslin Rd, Acton, provides training for adults with learning disabilities. Their aim is to help people obtain the skills needed to get into work. It is a fully accredited training centre and provides training in basic skills, preparation for work, job seeking skills, office practice, retail and information technology. Learning Curve also supports disabled adults in work and can help find work experience placements. It runs a community café called Café Eat, which earns money through external catering.

The attendees of this centre will be similarly given a 'budget' to purchase their own activities & services and be 'signposted' to getting services 'in the social care market'.

A disgrace (especially for a Labour council).

LINKS

You can still express your'e anger at how services are being decimated locally. You can write to your councillor, MP, the local newspaper or national media.

Here are some local links to help you:

You can email your protests directly to Cllr Jasbir Anand, portfolio holder for Adult & Children Social Services
here at jasbir.anand@ealing.gov.uk

You can also email Stephen Day who is the director of Adult
Social Services days@ealing.gov.uk or even give him a call on 020 8825 9315

Martin Smith is the Chief Executive of Ealing Council, (and doing well on £180k a year!) - he has two email's with which you can contact him on smithm@ealing.gov.uk or chiefexecutive@ealing.gov.uk

Gary Malcom is the Leader of the Lib Dem Group on Ealing Council malcomg@ealing.gov.uk

Harvey Rose is another Lib Dem who has been positively involved with Day Centre issues before roseh@ealing.gov.uk

Jason Stacey is the opposition Conservative leader jason.stacey@ealing.gov.uk

Greg Stafford is the opposition Conservative spokesman for Adult & Children Social Services gregory.stafford@ealing.gov.uk

Mark Reen was opposition Conservative spokesman for Adult & Children Social Services in the previous administration mark.reen@ealing.gov.uk

Angie Bray is the Conservative MP for Ealing Central & Acton angie.bray.mp@parliament.uk

Virendra Sharma is the Labour MP for Ealing Southall constituency sharmav@parliament.uk

Steve Pound is the genial MP for the neighbouring constituency of Ealing Northstevepoundmp@parliament.uk

The Ealing Learning Disability Partnership Board

is a group charged with defending the rights of service users in the borough and ensuring they get good services. You can fill out a contact form with your concerns about proposed closures at:

http://www.openupealing.net/form.aspx?page=12846

The contact email for The Ealing Gazette is at:

http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/site-map/contact-us-ealing-gazette/

The contact email for The Ealing Times is at:

http://www.ealingtimes.co.uk/contact_us/

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