Imagine for a minute if Salford had a Tory Council. And that Tory Council wanted to close the city's only residential home for disabled children. Imagine the outcry from the Labour Party opposition. Socialist councillors would be frothing with indignation...
Now imagine a Tory Salford Council that proposed to shut the disabled children's home while spending £19million on a posh garden in Worsley and £200million on luxury office blocks. Imagine the fury...
Then imagine a Tory Salford Council that guaranteed non-disabled children a place in a residential home in the city but not disabled children. The Labour Party opposition would be off the Richter Scale...
Then imagine a Tory Salford City Mayor who would personally make that decision to close the disabled children's home at the peak of the summer when everyone's on their holidays, hoping that no-one will notice. Imagine the outcry...
Now, come back to reality and find a ruling Labour Party Salford Council and a Jeremy Corbyn supporting Mayor doing all these unimaginable things.
Next week, at the peak of the summer holidays, Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, will personally be making a decision on the future of The Grange, the city's only residential home for disabled children.
Council officers and Lisa Stone, the Lead Member for Children's Services, are proposing to shut The Grange and, in the words of Lynda Barton, grandmother of one of the young people at the home, 'run these most vulnerable children out of the city'...
Over 3,000 people have signed a petition against the closure, including fans of Salford Red Devils and Salford City FC. The Red Devils team and mascot have even posed for photos with petitions, while Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, has stated that it would 'unacceptable' to move the disabled children out of Salford.
Yet Salford Council is proposing to do exactly that. An impact report on The Grange, to be considered by Paul Dennett at his Cabinet meeting, states that "children may in the future receive specialist residential care from outside of the city"...
Another report going to the Cabinet understates that "The closure of any children's home is a delicate and sensitive issue. In most circumstances it impacts directly on the children living in the home, the staff working at the home and those young people who have left care and occasionally return to visit their past carers. Any decision to close a children's home must be mindful of this impact."
Before the impact on the most vulnerable children in the city, however, comes the bottom line...
The Grange has five bedrooms and at the moment there are only two children resident there, a 40% occupancy level, acceptable, apparently, at other non-disabled homes in the city but not here.
Meanwhile, Salford City UNISON, which represents staff at The Grange who would be at risk of redundancy, has disputed Salford Council's commitment to the home, arguing that children with complex needs have not been offered rooms there recently, thus maintaining the low occupancy level and justifying the cut.
The union and families of the children at The Grange also argue that their fight to keep the home open is not just about the current occupants, it's about young people in the future who may need the facility. Once it's gone, it's gone forever.
The Council states that shutting The Grange will save an 'estimated' £300,000... "The overall running cost of the Grange, whilst vastly under occupied, is very difficult to justify at this time" the report sniffs.
After listening to Salford and Eccles MP Rebecca Long-Bailey, and Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett, speaking at the May Day rally at Bexley Square this year about protecting vulnerable people in the city from cuts, Lynda Barton told the Salford Star...
"If you can get more vulnerable than disabled children I would like to see that because they've got to be at least at the top of that list...I said to the Mayor that he and Jeremy Corbyn are all saying they can support vulnerable people but we need to see it..."
Next week, if the proposal to close The Grange goes ahead, it will be the City Mayor's name on the decision notice...
Update: 9:30pm 2nd August- SALFORD COUNCIL DEFERS THE GRANGE DECISION
Salford Council has deferred its decision to close The Grange. A letter from Councillor Lisa Stone to parents this afternoon stated, "The reason the report has been withdrawn is due to an administrative error. Some documentation was not provided to all the parties. In the interests of fairness we have therefore deferred the report and will inform you of the new date as soon as possible..."
For a full background see previous Salford Star articles on The Grange...
Salford May Day Sees Protests Against Disabled Children's Home Closure - click here
Families Fight To Save Salford's Only Disabled Children's Home - click here
Andy Burnham Supports Fight To Save The Grange - click here
Salford Council Puts Street Cleaning Before Disabled Children - click here
3,000 People Say 'Save The Grange' - click here
'Jeremy Corbyn' Joins Fight To Save The Grange - click here
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