An impassioned plea to give Pembroke Dock’s closure-threatened Anchorage day centre a breathing space, a potential victim of the need for cash-strapped Pembrokeshire County Council to balance its books, was made at County Hall this week.
The county council is currently changing care provision for older adults and those with learning disabilities, and fears have been raised recently that Pembroke Dock’s Anchorage day care centre is to close.
A series of engagement events have taken place at The Anchorage recently, outlining the reasons and the options in continued service.
The Anchorage Day Care Centre in Pembroke Dock has been a “safe and happy place” for adults with learning difficulties and additional needs for decades.
In more recent years it has expanded to support elderly dementia sufferers.
At the July 18th meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received two petitions calling for the council to reverse a decision to close day centres in Pembroke Dock, Crymych and Narberth.
Speaking at the meeting, Anchorage petition creator Peter Welsh – who said there had been no real consultation on the proposals – was joined by many of the service users in the public gallery at County Hall, Haverfordwest.
He launched an impassioned plea for the centre to remain open, saying of the service users: “They are a family, a happy group of individuals that enjoy being together in safety at their home, the Anchorage.
“They are effectively voiceless, we will be their voice.
“It’s an injustice; inexcusable targeting of the vulnerable. Please don’t use these vulnerable individuals as pawns for a money-saving gain.
“We may lose this battle today, but I hope not; they need your support. Just imagine if it was your son or daughter or grandchild being put through this uncertainty that is affecting their lives; you would feel the same sense of anger as us.”
To thunderous applause from the gallery, he finished: “July 18th, 2024; for those in the gallery, today it is their day, their lives; yet it could be today that is also your day. Today we appeal to you on their behalf, today you have an opportunity to right a wrong.”
Cabinet Member for Social Care & Safeguarding Cllr Tessa Hodgson said the service was moving away from being building-based and the council was facing immense financial pressures.
Cllr Hodgson said that was exacerbated by a last-minute cut in the 2024 council tax rise, from an expected 16 to 12.5 percent, which had contained warnings of dire service cuts.
Along with this were building repairs costs of well over £300,000 needed , as well as a decline in numbers attending the centre, especially post-Covid, members heard.
Chief Executive Will Bramble said the pressures on social services in the county were so high that the 12.5 percent council tax increase did not even meet the demands of that department alone, adding: “The only reason we were able to have a balanced budget was by cutting services in order to have a balanced budget.”
Local Pembroke Dock councillor Tony Wilcox said a purpose-built facility, part of the nearby Pembroke South Quay development, expected to be completed in a few years, could provide a new home for the service users, asking they remain where they are until that was completed.
“I feel strongly that Cabinet should reconsider keeping the Anchorage open as it is, for a period of two or three years before the new facility opens.”
He was joined by fellow Pembroke Dock councillor Brian Hall, who had originally opened the Anchorage “many, many years ago”.
“The South Quay move would’ve been perfect, but they haven’t started building it yet; why can’t they just leave them where they are until the building is completed? It’s not a lot to ask and it would probably save money.”
He later said: “I think it is a sin to all the clients there; what harm is it keeping them there for three years? A lot of these clients are closer to Pembroke than Pembroke Dock; I hope the Cabinet will leave them stay there for three years; three years is all we ask, it’s the way forward to keep people happy that are there now.”
The factor of a lower council tax increase putting the centre in jeopardy was raised by Cllr Maureen Bowen, who said: “I’m so sorry for the stress this has caused everyone,” adding: “I voted for a low budget knowing these changes were going to happen; sometimes we know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.”
The final word went to Mr Welsh, who had disputed the building not being fit for purpose.
“For the time being keep the Anchorage going, as Cllrs Wilcox and Hall said, keep these guys where they’re comfortable and where they are happy.”
A report on the Anchorage Centre is expected to come before the September meeting of the county council’s Cabinet, ahead of any final decision.
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