The Markhouse Centre was formally earmarked for closure last June, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Two independent reports arrive at different figures for how much it would cost Waltham Forest Council to maintain a Walthamstow centre for disabled adults.

The Markhouse Centre was formally earmarked for closure last June after a consultancy firm part-owned by the council estimated it would cost £915,000 to repair the building, excluding combined contingency and consultancy costs of around £300,000.

That sum was based on a survey carried out by Norse Evolve Ltd, which the Labour-run council did not originally disclose it partly owned.

Waltham Forest has a 25% stake in Evolve, against Norfolk County Council’s 75%.

There are currently 48 residents with learning disabilities that regularly attend the centre. Of those, 15 are autistic and around a quarter have ‘profound and multiple learning disabilities’..

The purpose of contracting Evolve was to save the council money through easier access to outsourced construction services such as design, surveying, and property management, a spokesperson previously said.

Though they are listed as directors, places director Joe Garrod and deputy leader councillor Ahsan Khan are in “strategic” roles and have no say in “day-to-day operations,” he added.

Cabinet members voted to close the centre in December, but were met with significant pushback from both Conservative and Labour councillors over the independence of the report. Following a heated scrutiny meeting in January, the council commissioned two separate surveys, which both predicted a lower cost.

On the council’s instruction, Hollis Global produced a survey in January and Spectrum Property Services issued a separate assessment in late February, which included a review of Hollis’ work.

Hollis projected the centre would cost £763,000 to maintain over the next 15 years, while Spectrum quoted £984,000. Hollis’ original estimates for ten years were closer to £500,000, according to the follow-up report by Spectrum.

The council has said neither quote included consultancy fees, which Evolve priced at around £123,000, while Hollis did not refer to infrastructure upgrades, which would cost between £195,000 and £215,000.

A spokesperson for the council said: “We would expect professional expert surveyors to arrive at different views when conducting a visual survey of a building like the Markhouse Centre.

“The Hollis report does not contain any costs for the essential infrastructure upgrade that would be required to install a new heating system. Neither the Spectrum nor Hollis reports contain costs for consultancy fees.

“When these necessary costs are factored in, the difference between the highest and lowest of the three estimates is less than £100,000.”

The original report indicated it would cost around £100,000 to replace three boilers, though during a full council meeting in October a resident said they had been quoted no more than £9,000 per unit by the boiler manufacturer.

Hollis produced a quote of £74,500, against Spectrum’s proposed £85,000, with both saying the boilers could not be replaced individually.

Despite the lower estimates, councillors have still been advised to close the centre.

According to a report due before cabinet, the council believes the rationale for closing the centre “remains relevant”.

It is still keen to push ahead with its “people-based services,” which it says will “ensure access to modern community-based provision”. If the centre was to close, the council says the land could be sold.

Additionally, the building is still considered to be in “poor condition” and there is a need for “considerable investment to ensure it is more fit for purpose,” the report says.

At a budget setting meeting last week, the Waltham Forest Conservatives urged the council to keep the centre open.

Conservative councillor Catherine Saumarez said she did not want the site to become dormant like the former Trumpington Road centre.

The building has sat dormant since it closed in 2018, and Cllr Saumarez warned an empty Markhouse could become a similar “drain on our finances”.

She added that she could not “put into monetary value what it will mean to the service users to keep it open”.

Arran Angus, campaign chairman of Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats, said “everything about the decision stinks” and people were “understandably furious”.

He said: “The lack of time to scrutinise this deeply flawed report is bad enough, but surely alarm bells should have been ringing given that the repair costs cited in the so-called ‘independent’ report by Evolve Norse was nearly half a million pounds more than what others quoted for the same work.”

The proposal has also been criticised by relatives of people who use and rely on the service.

Local campaigner James O’Rourke said: “My brother Tony, and so many like him deserve better. This is about lives, not just figures on a page. Imagine the Markhouse Centre – once a lifeline for our community – lost forever.”

He added: “We demand transparency, accountability, and leadership that prioritises people over profit. Waltham Forest deserves nothing less.”

He has also threatened to seek a judicial review of the decision.

Council officers say there are enough spaces available at other providers, but concerns remain that they may not meet some people’s complex needs.

The final decision on the centre’s future will be made at a cabinet meeting tomorrow (11th March).

Editor’s Note: Due to discrepancies in how the surveyors arrived at their figures, we have changed the headline and top line accordingly. A previous version also referred to consultancy charges being £18,000, this has been changed to £123,000.

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