Campaign launched to save vital centre for Dudley's severely disabled residents
A campaign has been launched to save a vital centre used by the most severely disabled people in Dudley borough.
The Unicorn Centre, Amblecote, provides life-changing services to the most vulnerable in the society but is set to have its budget massively cut by Dudley Council.
Ken McClymont started a petition to keep the centre open which is set to lose £460,000 funding in the next financial year and saving a similar amount again the year after.
The massive loss in funding could lead to the centre closing, a prospect which Conservative Dudley Council cabinet member for adult social care has not ruled out.
Ken, who has seen first hand the important work done at the Unicorn Centre, urged people to join his campaign.
He said: "Please Dudley Council don’t destroy this vital support lifeline to the most severely disabled people in Dudley borough and their family carers. This is a vital service providing independent living skills,travel training enabling them to use public transport independently.
"Employment training is also on offer to these people enabling them to work and earn their own money and enabling them to feel they are equal members of society and improve their confidence and mental wellbeing and self esteem and may lead to them living independently in the future."
He added: "The Unicorn Centre provides valuable respite to family carers who are unpaid and enables them to carry on their caring roles."
Ken also believes the closure of the centre by Dudley Council, which has a huge black hole in its finances, will create a false economy as well as wrecking lives.
"If the Unicorn centre was closed down the council will be faced with more pressures on budgets to fund social care as well as destroying family life and could lead to illness in the family carers which means they could no longer provide 24/7 care without this valuable resource.
Ken believes keeping the centre important for carers due to the vital respite care they get whilst their loved ones use the centre.
He added: "It is important to fight for the rights of family carers and disabled people who are trying to get the best out of life for themselves and their loved ones enabling their loved ones to gain independence and a valuable break from caring for the family enabling them to have a well deserved break."
Conservative councillor Matt Rogers, cabinet member for adult social care, explained to councillors why cuts were needed.
He said: “The savings proposed for the Unicorn Centre form part of the council’s wider budget proposals, and these have yet to be ratified at full council.
“The proposal is to offer people alternative ways of receiving support, based on service-users’ individual needs.
"We will work with every individual and their families and/or carers to agree a personalised support plan based on their identified needs and the outcomes they would like to achieve.”
He added: “We are confident the individual needs of service-users can be appropriately met through the existing range of services including Adults Social Care’s in-house services, commissioned services and non-commissioned community-based services.”
To sign the Ken's petition visit https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-the-unicorn-cemtre-from-closure.
