We should not be taken in by the rhetoric of Southend Council leader Nigel Holdcroft when he says the Avro Centre, for people with learning disabilities, will not close while the new pilot project in the town centre is being evaluated.
The Avro Centre is currently only 77 per cent utilised and this will be further reduced when the pilot project starts.
The Avro Centre is 50 per cent more expensive than a private service provider and this will further increase as service users move from the Avro Centre to the new pilot project in the town.
Councillor Holdcroft may be right to give his assurances now, but will the centre still be open when the costs become prohibitive through a lack of users?
Keith Davies
Chesterfield Crescent
Eastwood
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