'Day centre closure would ruin my brother's life'

A woman whose brother goes to a closure-threatened day care centre for adults with learning disabilities has said it would ruin his life if it were to shut.

Mark Hilton, 50, who has serious learning difficulties and is non-verbal, has attended Chadderton Hall Park centre in Oldham for the last 20 years, his sister Amanda Shelley said.

Other families have also said they would be left "devastated and uprooted" if it closed, as part of budget-cutting measures proposed by service provider MioCare and Oldham Council.

The council said no decisions would be made until after the consultation closed on 26 February.

"It means everything to us – Mark is so happy at Chadderton," Shelley, a care worker, told Local Democracy Reporting Service.

She added: "The staff are amazing with him. And he probably needs more attention than some of the others. His life wouldn't be the same without it."

Shelley added: "If Mark has to change his routine, everything changes in his life.

"We only heard about the proposed closure after it had been in the papers. It really shocked me."

MioCare Group, a council-owned care service, runs the daily service at a cost of around £150,000 a year. According to MioCare, the building needs a number of costly repairs, meaning it would be more cost-effective to relocate users to "suitable alternative day services at similar costs".

Councillor Barbara Brownridge, cabinet member for health, said: "Many residents may know that MioCare have proposed to close the Day Service for adults with learning disabilities that runs from Chadderton Park.

"We had been assured that affected residents would be involved the process to find alternative provision.

"After a consultation meeting on Thursday 29 January, where families raised a number of concerns, myself and the Leader of the Council have requested MioCare to provide more detailed information about the reasons for the proposal and to hold a further round of consultation with families.

"No decisions have been made and won't be made until after the consultation closes on 26 February, and we will continue speaking to the families affected."

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