'Difficult to justify: Ludlow older people's day centre set to close in council cuts to save £150,000 a year

Shropshire Council’s cabinet will be asked to decide on the future of Ludlow’s Helena Lane Day Service when it meets next Wednesday (June 10).

Earlier this year, a petition opposing the closure of the site was signed by 1,239 people.

The centre currently provides a building-based day service for older people, offering structured activities, social interaction, personal care - including assisted bathing - and respite for unpaid carers.

But the council said the low numbers of people using the facility mean it is recommending closure to save around £151,378 a year.

The authority has admitted the proposal was met with clear and sustained opposition from users and families during a consultation earlier this year, but said the way the facility currently operates is “poor value for money” and “difficult to justify”.

The report prepared for the cabinet details that the service is currently used by five people at an average cost of £332.82 per day they attend.

It states: “The service is operating at sustained low utilisation, with attendance levels significantly below the capacity required to support an efficient in-house model.”

The paper said the council will look to provide alternative support for those affected if the move goes ahead.

It stated: “The financial position is a key consideration. Helena Lane Day Service has a forecast net annual cost of £169,738, driven largely by fixed staffing and overhead costs.

“Based on current utilisation of 10 attendance days per week across five individuals, this equates to an indicative average net cost of approximately £332.82 per attendance day.

“Even allowing for reprovision costs where eligible needs must continue to be met, the current in-house model represents poor value for money and is difficult to justify in the context of the council’s financial emergency.”

The council is currently in the midst of resolving major budgetary issues, which have required a multi-million-pound loan from the government to stave off the threat of bankruptcy.

The report did acknowledge that the move has been opposed by the centre users, with carers worried about the lack of respite help.

It stated: “An eight-week public consultation was undertaken between January and March 2026, which demonstrated clear and sustained opposition to closure, particularly from unpaid carers and families.

“Key themes included the importance of respite, access to assisted bathing, the need for dementia-specific supervision, and concerns regarding rural transport barriers.”

The paper explained that the council will look to provide alternative support for those affected, saying: “While closure will remove a building-based service, the council’s legal duty is to meet eligible needs, not to provide a specific service model.

“Should cabinet approve closure, these duties will be discharged through individual Care Act Needs Assessments and Review, person-centred transition planning, and the provision of alternative support arrangements, including personalised options such as direct payments and personal assistants.”

Detailing the argument to proceed with the closure it stated: “In summary, the service is operating at very low utilisation, with only five individuals attending, resulting in a high net annual cost of £169,738 and an indicative unit cost of £332.82 per attendance day.

“Due to the largely fixed-cost nature of the in-house model, this represents poor value for money.

“As explored in the business case, there is no evidence that a viable and sustainable redesign would significantly improve utilisation. In the context of the council’s financial emergency and best value duty, continuation of the current model is difficult to justify.”

It added: “Closure of the service would not mean withdrawal of the council’s responsibilities to affected individuals. Where eligible needs have been identified, these will continue to be met through reassessment, care planning and alternative support arrangements where people choose to engage with the assessment process, otherwise, advise and information provided.”

A decision on the proposal will be taken at next week’s cabinet meeting.