Carer hopes that Bourne MP Nick Boles can save day care services
A CARER hopes the support of an MP will convince a council to drop its plans to close day care centres.
Tracey Byles, 48, of Austerby, Bourne cares for her 23-year-old daughter who is severely disabled.
She was shocked to learn of Lincolnshire County Council’s plans to shut down day care centres across the county, including the Stamford and Bourne Learning Disability Services in Abbey Road, Bourne and the Stamford Day Centre in Ryhall Road, Stamford.
The council wants to close its in-house services and make care users choose where to spend their publicly-funded care grant.
Mrs Byles started a petition against the closures in December and collected more than 850 signatures. She met with Bourne MP Nick Boles to discuss the issue and Mr Boles agreed to hand over her petition to the county council’s head of adult social services, Peter Duxbury.
Mr Boles will meet with council representatives again today and Mrs Byles is hopeful his influence will help persuade the council to change its plans.
She said: “I have been in touch with Nick Boles on a regular basis. I am hoping he is going to come up trumps.”
A consultation on the council’s plans closed on Monday. Mrs Byles attended a consultation event before Christmas but came out disappointed.
She added: “The council officer couldn’t say what services would be available. People were in tears and there was nothing he could say to them.
“There were no answers because technically it is still hypothetical.”
Mrs Byles called for more clarity from the council on its plans. She says she is not the only person campaigning against the closure of day centre services.
“I think a lot of people all over the county are doing the same thing as me and I think everyone is saying the same thing,” she added. “If they can’t tell us what will be available how can they expect us to want to change?
“Why can’t people have the personal budgets but pay for existing services? Most clients have no idea what to choose but the council is saying those people have to make a choice. Parents and carers don’t know what their choice will be.”
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Friday 25 May 2012
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