'Cruel, terrible and disgusting' - family's anger after county council ends support for seriously-disabled adults at Harborough day centre

A devastated mum has slammed a “cruel and terrible” bombshell county council move to strip away support for seriously-disabled adults at a day centre in Market Harborough.

Nicola Brooks, 64, and her husband Michael, also 64, have been spearheading the fight to save the crucial “lifeline” for their son Josh, 33, who has severe learning difficulties, at Roman Way Day Centre.

But they have been left heartbroken today after hard-up Leicestershire County Council voted to end its Community Life Choices service on the edge of the town centre.

Nicola, of Gardiner Street, Market Harborough, told the Harborough Mail: “This is a cruel and terrible thing to do to us.

“And not just to us but to all the other local families involved as well.

“We haven’t even heard anything yet from the county council – and the brilliant staff at Roman Way haven’t been told anything either.

“It’s totally disgusting.

“We haven’t got a clue what is going to happen now.

“How can the council do this to the most vulnerable people in our society, the people who need help the most?

“They have just given us the worst possible present just days before Christmas,” said Nicola, after over 800 people signed a petition supporting their emotion-charged mission.

“Josh has been going to Roman Way Day Centre for the last 12 years or so.

“He was anxious and nervous when he started going.

“But the staff there have really brought him out of himself.

“Josh loves going there.

“He loves the people who look after him – and he gets on so well with the other adults who attend with him.

“They are just one big happy family,” said the mother-of-five.

“So what does the future hold for them all now?

“It doesn’t bear thinking about.

“People like Josh don’t like the slightest change to their routines.

“So he’s going to react very badly to being torn away from the day centre here in town that he absolutely adores and cherishes.

“There has been talk of people coming to see him at our house.

“But Josh gets very upset if people he doesn’t know come into our home, he doesn’t like it,” insisted Nicola.

“He is 33 years old and is fully grown - but he has a mental age of about 18 months.

“Josh is our big baby.

“He obviously can’t cope himself, he needs immense support from us around the clock.

“We love him to bits but we really appreciate the way that he’s cared for and looked after at Roman Way.

“It will be very difficult for the two of us in our 60s to look after Josh here day in day out – and it would be very unfair on him.

“We just can’t go out together, for example, when Josh is here at home – it’s simply impossible.

“This unbelievable decision will turn his life upside down,” said Nicola.

“Josh won’t know what’s hit him – he’s going to be left high and dry.

“He will almost certainly become nervous and anxious again – or he could become more aggressive.

“We all know that the county council is trying to cut back and save money to make ends meet.

“But a truly civilised society looks after our most vulnerable people properly and morally.

“I’d just like the councillors in County Hall who voted to close this service down at Roman Way to come here to see us – and to look after Josh themselves for one day.

“Or even for just one hour.

“They would soon change their minds and pull off an about-turn.

“We should all be looking forward to Christmas and the New Year at the moment.

“But for us right now next year is just full of fear and uncertainty.

“It’s one big black hole - and we’re very upset and very worried.”

Cllr Phil Knowles, who leads the Liberal Democrats on Harborough District Council, has been backing the battle to rescue the Community Life Choices scheme at Roman Way Day Centre for the last three months.

“This decision will cause a lot of uncertainty, fear and distress for parents and families affected in Market Harborough.

“This is a very sad situation.

“My heart goes out to the people left shattered by this,” Cllr Knowles told the Mail.

“I’ve seen for myself the excellent work that the fantastic staff at Roman Way Day Centre do looking after our most vulnerable members of society.

“We have to do all we can to protect these people.

“But their futures are now totally up in the air.

“We desperately need clarification from the county council on how they’ll be looked after in future.

“We also need to be told what’s going to happen to Roman Way Day Centre.

“We don’t want any more smoke and mirrors, we want clarity from the county now,” said Cllr Knowles.

The county council voted yesterday (Tuesday) to end its Community Life Choices services for people with learning and physical disabilities at the Roman Way complex and seven other bases in Leicestershire.

The cash-strapped local authority wants families to explore the private sector route instead.

A Leicestershire County Council spokesman told the Mail: “We are grateful to everybody who took the time to give us their views on our proposed changes to our Community Life Choices service.

“We were pleased to see the value people clearly place in CLC.

“However, demand for it has been reducing in recent years.

“That trend sped up during the pandemic and our capacity to deliver in-house services has drastically reduced causing us to consider new ways of trying to maintain the service in the best way for people who use it.”

He added: “Throughout this process we have been working closely with affected families and some have already chosen to have their day care provided by the independent sector rather than directly from the council.

“The council will continue to fund day care of people who are eligible for it up to and after it helps them find the best independent provider to meet their specific needs.”