Despite significant pushback from affected locals, the council’s cabinet unanimously agreed to shut the Markhouse Centre in Walthamstow, saying it cannot afford £1.2million in repairs, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Relatives of affected users and the Waltham Forest Trades Council protest outside the Town Hall yesterday, Credit: LDRS

Waltham Forest councillors have voted to close a day centre for disabled adults, after a hard-fought campaign by locals to keep it open.

The council’s cabinet unanimously agreed to shut the Markhouse Centre in Walthamstow, saying it cannot afford £1.2million in repairs.

The leadership has said they also want to move away from a “building-based” approach to a “people-focused” approach, with the centre costing £1.7m a year to run.

Relatives of people who use the service were in attendance at yesterday’s cabinet meeting (3rd December), alongside trade union officials and campaigners. They jeered after the decision was made, with some asking: “Is that it?”

Relatives previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) they had come to depend on the centre, because it offered them respite and a chance to run errands amid a busy schedule as a carer.

James O’Rourke, whose brother Tony attends the Markhouse Road service, said he was “extremely angry” but ultimately not surprised by the decision.

He said: “Vulnerable people who don’t have a voice for themselves are being compared to pounds, shillings and pence. That’s all it was for them today.

“They have a financial responsibility, which I understand as a former councillor, but they’ve synthesised my brother down to pounds and pence.”

During the meeting, he warned the cabinet he would seek a judicial review of the decision.

Council leader Grace Williams said it was not the type of decision local politicians wanted to make, but “we do it because we know the alternatives are worse”.

She said the council faced a “high prospect” of effective bankruptcy if it did not address its overspends, which are projected to be as high as £24m over the next three years.

A report put before the council today said it has no plans for the site, but the authority indicated in June the land would be sold if it became vacant.

James told councillors: “You want the land to build on. This is a blatant land grab.”

Cllr Mitchell (front left) getting up to make a speech during the cabinet meeting, Credit: LDRS

Kevin Parslow, the secretary of Waltham Forest Trades Councils, said the “terrible decision” would affect both disabled people and workers.

He said the council should use its reserves – which have dwindled from £80m to £50m since 2019 – to prop up the service, and lobby the Labour government for a better deal for local authorities.

Louise Mitchell, the cabinet member for adult services, said it had been “one of the most difficult decisions” in her ten years as a councillor.

She said the council had “considered all feasible alternatives” and received “no serious offers” from private companies to keep the service running.

Each of the 51 people who use the service will now undergo assessments and be assigned to a centre that “fits their needs,” Cllr Mitchell said.

She said the council would also strive to keep friends together where possible.

In a statement, she added: “We will do everything we can to make sure that all service users are supported as they transition to new services, respecting their needs and preferences, and we will be communicating closely with the people who use the centre and their families to carry out needs assessments and share support offers.”

During the meeting, questions were raised over the integrity of the building survey, which identified the seven-figure repairs.

The assessment, which was used as the foundation of the council’s reports, had been produced by property consultancy company Evolve Norse, which is a joint venture between Waltham Forest and consultancy company Norse.

As Evolve Norse is part-owned by the council, Waltham Forest housing lead Ahsan Khan and the acting director of place, Joseph Garrod, are both listed as directors of the company.

However, Cllr Williams she was “satisfied” with the ‘independent’ report, shortly before the cabinet rubber-stamped the closure.

Councillor Richard Sweden, who had chaired a scrutiny committee meeting in October, said it was a “difficult and momentous decision”.

He added: “While we have our own financial difficulties, no attempt can be made to bring the council back into surplus without looking at our social care costs.

“But, we have to be mindful of the human cost, and balance that against the financial cost.”

The town hall’s £24m overspend is one of the highest in London.

If it did declare bankruptcy, government-appointed commissioners would take over, Cllr Williams said. Their job is to make stringent cuts to all non-statutory services and internal operations.

The Labour leader added: “We need to be able to protect our services, and to do that we need to balance the budget.”

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