CAMPAIGNERS opposed to the closure of Spalding’s Chappell Centre must postpone their planned visit to the county council’s Adult Scrutiny Committee.
Maurice Chappell and Michael Lee were due to adress the committee next Wednesday after collecting more than 5,800 signatures on a petition opposed to shutting the Pinchbeck Road building, which caters for vulnerable adults with wide-ranging disabilities.
The council says it has received “unprecedented levels of feedback” on its plans to close The Chappell Centre along with a string of similar centres around Lincolnshire.
The council executive was due to make a final decision on the mass closure in February, but that has now been put off until March.
Mr Chappell and Mr Lee will be invited to attend a future meeting of the Adult Scrutiny Committee, which is expected to be held towards the end of February.
Coun Graham Marsh, the county executive member for adult social care, said: “We have been delighted to receive unprecedented levels of feedback and thank everyone for their contribution. As a consequence, Adult Social Care is being allowed more time to give proper consideration of every view and to ensure thorough analysis of the findings.”
Protesters are not opposed to the Government forcing adult service users to switch to personal budgets to buy their care – but say the budgets are no good if Lincolnshire County Council shuts its tailor-made centres or if service users’ cash is swallowed up by travel costs to far-flung places.