Fears over closure of day centre

The future of a day centre and respite home in Great Wyrley is uncertain after the county council confirmed the centres would be included in its radical shake-up of social services.

Staffordshire County Council has announced plans to close its residential care homes as the authority faces a massive rise in social care costs.

The council is planning to close care homes across the county and has confirmed that Great Wyrley Day Centre on Walsall Road and the respite unit behind will be included in the plans.

The Great Wyrley Day Centre is used by people with learning difficulties and special needs while the respite unit takes residents for varying amounts of time to give their families, who are caring for them, a rest.

Bosses at the county council say whatever happens the services will be "reprovided" in some other way. This could mean caring for people within their own homes which critics claim will be a sub-standard service.

Local councillor, Janet Johnson, who has been a carer herself, said the news would "devastate" local people and she attacked the council for not properly consulting.

Councillor Johnson added: "There has been no consultation about this at all. The first local people know about is when it goes in the paper."

Steven Jenkins from the county council said nothing had been decided yet but a £19 million package was expected to be approved to invest in new services.