I write about the on-going debate about the future of the Tudor Street Centre and the MCC review of services for learning disabled people locally.

In his article for your paper on January 30, Wayne Crocker (Director of Mencap Cymru) writes: “I hope the decision by Monmouthshire County Council to pause the closure whilst the review is being undertaken shows that those who made the decision to close Tudor Street recognise that the voices of those who will use services in Abergavenny should shape the services they need and if that means a safe and secure space with the right equipment then Tudor Street or a similar space must be part of the day support offer.”

We might be encouraged by MCCs approach to the review in which they call for it to: “..incorporate detailed analysis of the current service, to include extensive, specialist and bespoke stakeholder engagement with people who currently use the service, people who may use the service in the future [my italics], families/carers, staff team and other key internal and external stakeholders…. The review will have a strong emphasis on coproduction, collaboration, and innovation.”

But so far, the rhetoric has not matched the reality. With the report due in mid-March and most of the data reported to be collected, it was only on Feb 1 that any easy-read information about the review was, without any fanfare or signalling, put up on the MCC website.

Also, it’s completely unclear how people who might want to use the service but who never have, might have been reached out to and included. We will have to wait and see how co-produced this whole process has been as we eagerly await the review report.

- David Abbott (Prof),

Abergavenny