Opposition to Day Centre Closures

Conservative Councillor Mark Reen writes to Ealing Today

I was for a time the Adult Social Care Portfolio Holder under the previous Conservative Council. I have read the Labour Party Manifesto - the document on which they secured the Council at the recent local elections. Nowhere in this document does it say, "Vote Labour, close Day Care".

It is a fact that the previous Conservative Council resisted the closure of fixed day care provision in the borough for 4 years and at the same time delivered a larger savings programme than that which is being brought forward by the current Labour administration.

If you wish to close Day Care the question that has to be asked first is "what alternative provision needs to be put in place?" I am afraid that this question hasn't got beyond the concept of personalisation; which according to the Councils own targets will only cover 30% of current service users by April 2011.

The current Labour administrations' lack of imagination around shared services with other councils and engaging the Ealing Council workforce intelligently on long term wage costs is simply producing these types of service changes without changing the long-term affordability of the Council.

This Labour Council could - as we did - quite easily choose to leave Day Care provision untouched; instead this increasingly money obsessed Council is using the present financial predicament of our Country as a pretext for massive service dislocations.

A lack of compassion and leadership is the result.


Cllr Mark Reen
Shadow Portfolio Holder - Regeneration
Representing Northfield Ward