A LEARNING disability day centre will be closing next year after the county council sold the building - sparking anger for parents and carers.

Six Acres centre in Taunton, which provides care for more than 90 people, will be closing its doors in March next year following the announcement.

The centre is run by Discovery, which holds the learning disability contract from Somerset County Council since 2017.

Mark Blaker, 55, from Wiveliscombe has a son who has attended Six Acres for the last five years. The 'hastily' made decision to sell the building has caused Mr Blaker to resign his position on the board at Discovery.

He said: "The problem I have is the timing.

"We wanted to move on to a more modern service, but Somerset County Council sold it at very short notice.

"We needed to build the infrastructure and make sure plans were in place.

"My son will probably be okay, but there are other people there with complex needs that need intensive care.

"Six Acres is the only place of its kind for people to go and to be part of the community."

Mr Blaker said he was on board for the changes at Discovery which would result in a better service for its users, but he says the way it has happened is a 'tragedy'.

"Some people have been using the service for 20-25 years, it's an ingrained part of their lives. There are some older people that might not have that circle of care around them.

"We understood at Discovery improvements were needed to the service, but we didn't have the transformation in place, and that's one of the tragedies.

"Staff at Discovery have also just had their terms and conditions changed, so this adds more uncertainty.

"The timing of it doesn't allow for it to be handled as sensitively as it should be."

Somerset County Gazette: MANAGING DIRECTOR: Luke Joy-Smith, of Dimensions

Luke Joy-Smith, Discovery 

Luke Joy-Smith, managing director of Discovery, said other services will also be affected, but it's part of a 'long-term' plan to improve services.

He said: "The sale will also affect two residential supported living settings, Ashbury and the Brambles, as well as the operational running of our support at Bindon Road, which is intrinsically linked to our day service provision provided at Six Acres.

"Discovery’s ambitions – delivery of person-centred support for everyone – have not changed, but this sale means we will readjust the previously announced plan for Taunton. We have previously said that we would assess the success of new hubs in St James, Colliers Court and the Seahorse Centre before deciding on the future for Six Acres.

"The sale is an opportunity to move our shared vision for the future of day support forward more immediately. For the council it also generates much-needed income at a time of big pressures on their budgets."

The county council says all service users will have their needs 'assessed and met' - but says it will be delivered in a 'different way'.

Councillor David Huxtable, cabinet member for adult services at SCC, said: “We understand people will have an attachment to Six Acres, but have been clear all along that that our aim is to modernise what remains a largely traditional service.

“Change is always difficult, but we believe that this will mean support that is more inclusive, more flexible and offers more choice – as we are seeing develop in Minehead.

“The buildings-based service that were transferred to Discovery needed to be reviewed and modernised, and this is no reflection on the staff at Six Acres at elsewhere who work very hard for the people they care for.

“This is an opportunity to move things forward in Taunton sooner than originally planned, as well as generate income at a time of the well-documented pressures on its budgets.”