Opinion: Lib Dem led council must not close Powys day centre
They say 'a society is judged by how it treats its most vulnerable'. Yet as highlighted in last week's County Times, the future of the Sylfaen centre at Llanidloes is under threat.
Sylfaen is a Powys County Council-owned day service in Llanidloes which offers service users aged 19 to 72 a programme of sensory-based activities including soap making, sensory craft, gardening, cooking and day trips.
Yet there are fears that it could close under Powys County Council's Liberal Democrat-led cabinet.
Bearing in mind that Disability is a Protected Characteristic under the Public Sector Equality Duty, public organisations have to consider the potential impacts fully and share the impact assessment with those affected.
With that in mind, we need assurance that a full impact assessment about the closure of Sylfaen has been done and not a mere tick box.
The general duty of the Equality Act 2010 (also known as the Public Sector Equality Duty or PSED) sets out that those subject to the duty must have due regard to the need to:
Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act.
Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.
In Wales, the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) goes further and contains express provisions about engagement (Regulation 5) and equality impact assessments (Regulation 8) which are not present in the English PSED.
Regulation 8 (1) of Equality Act 2010 (Statutory Duties) (Wales) Regulations 2011, states that:
a. assessing the likely impact of its proposed policies and practices on its ability to comply with the general duty;
b. assessing the impact of any:
1. policy or practice that the authority has decided to review,
2. revision that the authority proposes to make to a policy or practice, on its ability to comply with that duty;
c. monitoring the impact of its policies on its ability to comply with that duty.
The reality is Lib Dem led Powys expect volunteers and Direct Payments to plug the gap yet as is well known that's merely further pressure on carers and families.
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