Denbighshire County Council - Agenda item

To consider a report by Councillor Bobby Feeley, Lead Member for Well-being and Independence (copy enclosed) on the future of Meifod following consideration of the options by relevant stakeholders, the Performance Scrutiny Committee Task and Finish Group and Performance Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED that –

(a) Meifod be re-opened as a Council run service for adults with learning disabilities as soon as it is safe to do so, following the necessary investment into the existing building/facilities. It was anticipated that the service would be able to re-open by February 2022, although this could be sooner if works are completed quickly;

(b) officers to provide options for members to consider through the established political process on:

· new ways of working at Meifod to improve learning and skills across a range of activities, including working with timber

· alternative service delivery models for the operation at Meifod with a view to improving the long-term sustainability of the service as the lease on the building expires in 4 years

(c) officers to establish a stakeholder group, including representative family members and individuals who attend Meifod or their advocates to ensure they are fully engaged in the re-opening of the service along with developing any future options for its operation.

Councillor Bobby Feeley presented the report on the future of Meifod following consideration of the options by relevant stakeholders, the Performance Scrutiny Committee Task and Finish Group and Performance Scrutiny Committee. She also took the opportunity to thank all those involved in that process for their hard work.

Meifod was a well-respected work opportunity service for adults with learning disabilities managed by Community Support Services. It was located in a rented factory unit in Denbigh producing and selling wood products. The facility had been closed since March 2020 due to Covid-19 and the Council had taken the opportunity to consider the future of the facility. All agreed that Meifod was a much valued service and there was much support to reopen the facility as soon as possible; it was anticipated that the required works would be completed to reopen Meifod by February. The current lease ended in September 2025 which allowed time to promote the facility, introduce alternative activities and consider new service delivery models to improve its long-term sustainability given the cost increases associated with providing the facility. Councillor Feeley added that at no stage had she or anyone else to her knowledge considered closure of the facility but agreed changes were needed to improve the offer at Meifod. The intention going forward was to ensure all interested parties were kept informed about Meifod’s reopening and future plans including liaison with families of present and future users.

Councillor Arwel Roberts, Chair of Performance Scrutiny Committee thanked the Task and Finish Group for their work and reported upon the Committee’s lengthy discussions and further strengthening of the Task and Finish Group’s recommendations as detailed in the report, to invest in the service to ensure its reopening as soon as possible and to safeguard its future and provide a greater range of activities for service users whilst ensuring future provision conformed with relevant legislation and the Council’s Welsh Language policy. He had also been pleased to hear the views of a parent of one of the service users at the meeting.

Cabinet noted the recommendations which reflected the conclusions of the Performance Scrutiny Committee and was pleased to note the positive report to safeguard the future of Meifod and opportunity to provide a greater range of activities to make the service more inclusive and encourage more people to use the service. As local member, Councillor Mark Young spoke positively about Meifod’s future and along with fellow local member Councillor Rhys Thomas, asked that they be kept abreast of reopening plans and any future changes to the facility and also offered their support to officers in communicating with families using the service and future users. Councillor Bobby Feeley reiterated plans to ensure all interested parties be kept informed and to liaise with the families of present and future users. In response to further questions officers gave an update on the works to be undertaken prior to reopening of the facility and assurances were provided that all endeavours would be made to ensure the facility reopened as soon as possible. In response to a suggestion from Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts regarding the potential reference to ‘Meifod Services’ in the recommendations, Councillor Feeley confirmed she was happy with the current recommendations as per the report.

The Leader invited questions from non-Cabinet members. Whilst there was broad support for the report recommendations, questions were raised regarding the need to diversify into other areas given the previous success of Meifod with concerns that the skills base would be diluted or lost, and the reasoning behind the reduction in referrals to the facility and plans to increase uptake was also sought. In response to those and other questions/comments, the Lead Member and officers –

· confirmed categorically that no service users would be forced to undertake any activities they did not wish to do

· in response to Councillor Rhys Thomas and further request for involvement of local members reference was made to the establishment of a stakeholder group to be engaged in the re-opening of the service and developing future options

· noted suggestions from Councillor Arwel Roberts regarding the availability of other funding sources and individuals who may be able to assist in that regard

· accepted the desire for continuation of woodwork based activities with the recommendation having referred to new ways of working, including working with timber, and service users and their families/advocates would be engaged as part of the stakeholder group in developing future options

· numbers attending Meifod had reduced over recent years with those coming into the service preferring other activities; the proposals provided an opportunity to broaden the range of activities and encourage more people to use the service

· referrals were made by the Complex Disabilities Team who promoted Meifod along with other support services but there was a lack of interest in woodwork

· the practical manual activity was particularly valued at Meifod which was lacking in other services available and the intention was to capitalise on that aspect, making the service more accessible/attractive with a greater choice of activities.

With regard to some of the concerns raised Cabinet was assured that the recommendation to establish a stakeholder group to consider future options would ensure that a model was developed to address those issues and provide a more sustainable future for Meifod for the benefit of all concerned, and any options would be further considered by members through the usual democratic processes.