Comment Walthamstow

Editorial: Waltham Forest Council must listen to the vulnerable and keep the Markhouse Centre open

Closing a day centre for disabled adults won’t solve the council’s money woes, but it will hurt vulnerable SEND adults and their carers massively

By Marco Marcelline

Markhouse user Sally(left), and Aisha Jamal with her mother, Credit: Provided by mother

Our front page story this month is on the potential closure of a day centre for disabled adults, which Waltham Forest Council says is too costly to maintain.

Speaking to the Echo, affected families said closing the Markhouse Centre would be “horrendous” for their loved ones, with some having attended it since 1984.

Just the thought of it closing is already having an impact on Markhouse users; 63-year-old Sally, who has cerebral palsy, has been coming home in tears since she found out it may shut.

The closure risks harming not just the friendships and bonds formed over many years between staff and service users, but also the mental health of carers who worry alternative sites may not be adequate.

Carers like Catherine say that the time their loved ones are at Markhouse is the only time they get for themselves each week. Some, like Nusra, whose daughter Zaina has violent nightly seizures, use it to catch up on lost sleep.

The council recently revealed it is eyeing £10million worth of cuts next year, which makes Markhouse, with its £1.2m repair bill, an obvious target for officials.

But closing Markhouse won’t solve the council’s money woes, which predominantly stem from a long-term lack of central government funding. The saving here is purely short-term, while the impact on service users and their carers could last much longer.

The council’s insistence that it is focusing on “people, not buildings” rings hollow for there is no doubt that by getting rid of Markhouse, the wishes of vulnerable people, who cannot speak for themselves, are being ignored.

The Echo wholeheartedly supports the campaign to save the Markhouse Centre and we join families and carers in demanding that the council does not go ahead with the plans.


No news is bad news 

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts. 

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less. 

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation. 

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit 

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month.  £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.

Donate now with Pay Pal

More information on supporting us monthly or annually 

More Information about donations

Our newspaper and website are made possible by the support of readers and by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider helping us to continue to bring you news by disabling your ad blocker or supporting us with a small regular payment.