Former day centre for vulnerable adults in the West Midlands to be sold off

At least £250 million worth of assets, including properties and land, have been disposed of since the council declared itself effectively ‘bankrupt’ in September 2023.

One property sale which was approved this week was Fairway Day Centre in Kings Norton, one of four centres which controversially closed last year amid council budget cuts.

The centres provided support and opportunities to make friends and gain new skills for those with learning and physical disabilities, autism and dementia.

Services and residents were ultimately moved to the five remaining day centres in Birmingham under the plans, which sparked furious outbursts from residents at a meeting.

The council has now approved the sale of the former day centre to a company, with a report saying it would support the local authority’s financial recovery plan.

According to a separate council document, the sale would lead to a privately operated special education needs facility being established.

“The eventual use […] may be positive for people with care experience as potential job opportunities could arise from the establishment of the facility,” it added.

The enormous wave of property sales by the council also means another former day centre in Harborne is set to be redeveloped into a new store.

The council approved the sale of the centre in West Boulevard towards the end of last year, with a report saying at the time: “The property is a former adult day centre which was closed following a review of the use of the facility, operational costs and capacity availability in other locations.

“The previous users of the centre now use alternative council-owned facilities.

“The building is now vacant. The proposal is to sell the property to a national company who will redevelop the site for a new foodstore.”

Several issues contributed to the recent financial crisis at the council, including the equal pay debacle, inadequate budget setting, poor service management, demand led pressures and the disastrous implementation of a new IT system.

Labour councillors have also partly blamed the legacy of austerity and funding cuts during the previous Conservative Government.

On the closure of the adult day centres, Councillor Rob Pocock, who is overseeing the council’s transformation, said previously: “We need to save on costs and the remaining centres need to be fully utilised.

“Citizens using our centres have said they want to have a wider variety of activities outside the day centres and this is what we are also developing, as part of a more modern 21st-century service”.

He said the package as a whole meant anyone wanting to use a council day centre would still be able to and that no staff were being made redundant.