Charity supporting deaf people to close this month

A charity that has supported people who are deaf and hard of hearing for 150 years will stop offering its services earlier than planned after its financial position was found to be "more challenging than previously understood".

Northamptonshire-based Deafconnect announced earlier this year that it was to close.

It had expected to be able to continue offering its services until June, but it will now stop on 31 March.

North Northamptonshire Council said it was working to provide a new service, with funding also coming from West Northamptonshire Council.

It added there might be a gap of a few weeks while a replacement service was set up, and information would be available on its website during that time, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Eddie McDonald, the council's executive member for adult services, said the aim was to create a service that "more effectively reflects the needs of the community" while reducing the need for formal care and support.

The two councils will fund the new service to the tune of about £22,000 a year.

Sally Keeble, a Labour member of West Northamptonshire Council, said: "The needs of the community are much too substantial, and to think you can meet them with £22,000 is complete nonsense. That doesn't even employ a member of staff."

She added: "This seems like a really retrograde step. There needs to be some indication of a reasonable way forward, otherwise what's been built up over many years will all be lost."

A North Northamptonshire Council spokesperson said funding for the new service was "deliberately set to reflect the scope of the service being commissioned".

They added: "The new grant level has been set to ensure a sustainable, proportionate service that can be delivered within available resources, while we continue to engage with the community and monitor demand as the new service is established.

"It's also important to be clear that council funding for support has not been reduced. The previous provider's financial difficulties were driven by the loss of external grant income, not a withdrawal of council funding."

The spokesperson added that the future funding would support information and advice rather than be a like-for-like replacement of Deafconnect's service.

Deafconnect has been contacted for comment.

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