Planned protest outside Renfrewshire House ahead of key vote

Renfrewshire's Integration Joint Board (IJB) are set to gather on Monday afternoon (April 29) to decide if they will be cutting Flexicare services as well as merging two-day centres.

The two centres are the Mirin in Paisley and the Milldale Centre in Linwood, with suggestions that the Mirin would remain open and accommodate both sets of service users - but no formal decision has been made yet.

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Save Our Services protest outside Renfrewshire House earlier this year (Image: Anthony Flett)

David McGonigle and Pam Gosal MBE (Image: Anthony Flett)

Ahead of the crucial debate, service users along with family, friends and carers will all be gathering outside the building to voice their opposition.

David McGonigle, Conservative politician for Houston, Crosslee and Linwood, said: "Anxious constituents will be eagerly awaiting if a decision is finally going to be made on these proposals.

"I have been proud to stand alongside them from the very start and I continue to share their overwhelming concerns about what a merger will mean for their vulnerable loved ones.

“Since these deeply misguided cuts to the day centres have been on the table, those who will be affected have been ignored far too often by decision-makers.

“The strength of feeling among my constituents and those right across Renfrewshire can once again be seen by the planned protest outside the building ahead of this meeting.

“I’d encourage anyone who can to go along to this protest and make sure those making this decision inside hear our opposition in the loudest possible terms.

“These cuts would have a devastating effect on parents, and carers, and must finally be ditched at this meeting.”

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This will be the second meeting to decide on the lifeline services, with the last outing about the decision in March ending in a stalemate with the voting cast as four each.

The IJB say that merging the two centres will allow for "higher, more flexible, staffing ratios to be put in place" and "meet current and projected demand."

Suggestions by the IJB and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) estimate closure of the Flexicare service would save £170k.

Merging the two centres is estimated to save a total of £458k.

It would help close a budget deficit of almost £15 million.

At the last meeting, it was raised that "concerns and opposition" to the proposals have been raised throughout the engagement process - something they say they have "captured" within the assessment process.

Taking no action on merging the centres was raised as it was acknowledged that this would require "no disruption to families, carers or service users", however, there would need to be additional activities introduced.

Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership declined to comment.