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Disability service has to move home

Penny Coles
7/ 3/2007

A WIDOWED mother is sick with worry because of changes to the disability service used by her daughter.

Mum Victoria Morton was devastated to hear that Tameside Council's Learning Disability Service could no longer use Hyde Youth and Community Centre.

Mrs Morton, of Winchester Road, Dukinfield said she has been told the service can now use Oxford Park Community Sports Centre - but for fewer hours and with less facilities.

Her daughter, Claire, 22, who has learning difficulties, will be affected.

"The service will still be running from 9am to 3pm but they only have Oxford Park a few hours a day - where else are these youngsters with learning difficulties going to go?" said Mrs Morton.

"I am worried they are going to spend hours just sitting on their minibus with nowhere else to go," she said.

A Tameside Council spokesman said there were plans to update the service as part of a government programme.

The spokesman said: "A broader range of community activities will be introduced which will include more day trips, community activities and leisure activities like bowling."

Social Services chief, Councillor John Taylor, said the disability service had to move out of the Hyde base as the youth service now needs the rooms.

Councillor Taylor said: "I can only apologise to the service users and their families for the inconvenience caused.

"But I firmly believe we will come out of this with better facilities and ones that we don't have to rent and depend on others for accommodation," he said.