Senior Pembrokeshire councillors have backed plans to close two of the county’s centres for older adults and those with learning disabilities - including Tenby’s Avenue Centre.

At the January 8 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members backed a recommendation to approve the relocation of Day Services for older adults and adults with a learning disability provided from Portfield SAC, Haverfordwest, and Avenue SAC, Tenby, to alternative venues from April 1.

The alternative venues will be Meadow Park Day Centre in Prendergast, Haverfordwest and Lee Davies Day Centre in Narberth, both of which have been used as alternative sites since August 2023, with the Avenue also served by The Anchorage SAC/South Quay.

A report for members said the alternative of keeping the existing services at Portfield and The Avenue, together with investment and maintenance of the buildings, would have a minimum cost of £1,257,000; £640,419.02 and £616,581.34 respectively, with numbers of service users attending day centres rather than other facilities dropping since the Covid pandemic.

The report said: “It has been identified over recent years that there is a need to review the way in which Day Service and ‘Day Opportunities’ are provided in Pembrokeshire for both older people and people with learning disabilities.

“The historical arrangements rely on a large number of buildings and services being provided for people based on their disability / diagnosis rather than common interests.

“The medium-term plan is to focus more on maintaining peoples’ independence by modernising the way that day opportunities are made available within an individual’s own community.”

A new ‘hub & spoke’ model of service delivery was subject to a formal consultation in late 2019; it was deemed that the development of a two ‘hubs’ model, based in the north and south of the county; Portfield and the Avenue had initially been considered as sites, but were “deemed inappropriate” due to the costs needed “to bring them up to a reasonable standard”.

Members heard transportation for users of The Avenue centre in Tenby to Narberth had already been arranged, and feedback had been “extremely positive,” with ‘taster sessions’ at the alternative venues before service users were given a final choice.

Cabinet Member for Social Care & Safeguarding Cllr Tessa Hodgson said: “The transition has already been made because of the health and safety concerns; I think the ‘hub and spoke’ model is the right way for us to go.”

Ahead of Monday’s cabinet meeting, County councillor for Tenby’s North Ward, Cllr Michael Williams said the Avenue Centre had provided a ‘vital service’ to disadvantaged families over the years.

“I was aware that the Centre was under review, but I fear there will be a huge outcry in the local community, as there was a couple of years ago when this was originally suggested,” he said.

“I hope that any alternative arrangements are discussed with the service users and their families, and a full consultation takes place, as this service provides a vital service to some seriously disadvantaged families, and provides an invaluable service.

“I am extremely disappointed that following the previous consultation, when serious deficiencies in the building were clearly known, no action has been taken to address the issues resulting in the building being left to deteriorate to such an extent that the authority now, possibly finds it being beyond repair. One suspects a deliberate policy,” he continued.

Cllr Williams said that with the matter on the table for discussion at the cabinet meeting on January 8, the first discussion he’d had on the matter with any cabinet member was a mere four days before on January 4, which he labelled a ‘disgrace and totally unacceptable’.

“This puts my continued support of this administration in considerable jeopardy!” continued Cllr Williams.

“I understand the enormous financial pressure PCC finds itself in, but it appears that the most vulnerable in society are going to once again having to bear the brunt of these cutbacks.

“I’m struggling to support cutbacks which are putting the most vulnerable in society under unbearable pressure, while PCC can still find money for vanity projects.

“Maybe now is the time to pull the plug on vanity items such as Haverfordwest airport to protect those most in need of our support?” added Cllr Williams.