By John Baron
Councillors have today dismissed a challenge to a decision to move a mental health support hub at Stocks Hill in Armley to Horsforth as part of a bid to save the council £500,000.
Centres at Lovell Park and Vales Circles in Beeston will also move as the number of sites offering the day opportunities service is cut from six to three.
Users of Stocks Hill protested outside Leeds Civic Hall last month, saying they would they would have too far to travel for support groups and well-being activities.
A challenge from Green Party councillors saw the future of the service debated at a scrutiny board meeting at Leeds Civic Hall today (Tuesday, 13 May).
Their formal request for a “call-in” of the decision, led by Armley Green councillor Lou Cunningham, said Stocks Hill had the most attendees of all the centres and the majority lived nearby. they said proposals to move services to Horsforth would cause users hardship.
At the meeting, Armley campaigner Norman Forsyth was critical of the council’s consultation and questioned whether the decision to close Stocks Hill had already been pre-determined.
He said: “The council talks about being open, honesty and integrity. Three words. But we have seen none of that. There has been no openness to us, there has been no honesty. We have been fed misinformation.
“We found out that the executive board in September 2023 had ordered a review into day services. All I’m asking for, on behalf of services users, is why don’t they talk to us? Nobody comes and talks.”
Mr Forsyth added: “We feel that under the Equality Act 2010 … mental health is a protected item, we should be treated safely, healthily and have fulfilled lives in the local community. How does anybody think Armley is local to Horsforth?”
Cllr Lou Cunningham (Green, Armley) said her party had issued a ‘call in’ over all six affected sites across the city, but their specific focus was on Stocks Hill.
She said: “It is well documented that Armley is a priority neighbourhood with intense need for mental health resources and there are no other services in West Leeds which replicate what is provided at the Stocks Hill setting.”
She said the consultation process was flawed, that individual personal reviews were used as consultation and said there had been a ‘mismatch’ between engagement and consultation by the council.
Cllr Cunningham added there was an emphasis on friendship groups in the report, which undermined the importance of established peer support networks.
Councillor Salma Arif (Labour) is the executive member for Adult Social Care and acknowledged the strength of feeling over the plans.
She said: “Whilst operational changes to all six centres are proposed, it is recognised the impact upon people accessing the mental health hubs is more significant than the complex needs centres. The impact on Stocks Hill is noted and is recognised.”
Additional attention had been made to create personalised plans for service users so the council continued to offer right levels of support, she said.
“Through effective planning and further engagement with service users any outstanding issues can be resolved,” Cllr Arif added.
The executive board member later argued that the move to Horsforth would be better for some users, but recognised for some it was a challenge and Horsforth was too far away. She added: “I am really pleased officers have identified three local buildings as alternatives sites and I am hoping between the sites we can get an offer that works for everybody.”
LCC’s director of adults and health Caroline Baria said: “We understand this level of change can be disruptive to people, and even more so when people have very specific needs relating to their mental health, and the need for that stability and continuity.”
She said attendance had declined at the hubs and Stocks Hill only opened two or three days a week. She said the cost of maintaining the buildings was ‘quite considerable’.
Ms Baria confirmed the consultation had spoken to people about considering alternatives to Stocks Hill, not maintaining it.
“We genuinely feel we have consulted with people about the alternative options,” she added.
Councillors on the scrutiny panel were advised by a legal officer that their decision today revolved around whether they decision was taken correctly and the process of the consultation, not the actual decision to move the services elsewhere.
Councillors agreed to release the decision for implementation.
The Armley service will move to Calverlands Complex Needs Centre in Horsforth.
The Lovell Park hub will move to Wykebeck Complex Needs Centre and Vales Circles will join Laurel Bank Complex Needs Centre in Middleton.
The Lovell Park and Vales Circles buildings will be sold off. Stocks Hill will be retained by the council for unspecified usage.
- WLD has been following local and national government cuts in West Leeds via its Cutswatch series here.