Campaigners lose fight to save mental health centres

Campaigners fighting the closure of three mental health centres in Leeds last night lost their battle to keep them open.

The Leeds Crisis Centre, in Headingley, has helped thousands of people overcome emotional difficulties in their lives with its counselling services but, last night, councillors in Leeds, faced with having to make major cuts to the city’s budget, voted to close it together with two day centres – the Vale in Hunslet and Stocks Hill in Armley.

Protesters had argued that closing the services would have a devastating effect as they play an integral part in mental health care in the city, preventing people relapsing into crisis, attempting suicide and being admitted to hospital.

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But yesterday, in the face of major Government spending cuts, members of Leeds City Council’s executive committee voted to axe the services.

Last night, Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland said the decision demonstrated: “significant short-sightedness”.

“Given the huge wave of both local and national support for the campaign to keep the service provided by the Crisis Centre, in Leeds, It is extremely regrettable that council have gone ahead and decommissioned the Leeds Crisis Centre,” he added.

The council has said it will honour any commitments made to service users who are currently use Leeds Crisis Centre and will pick an appropriate time after which no new referrals will be taken.

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Local authorities are not legally required to provide counselling services and Leeds is one of the few councils in the country that has provided such a service. Often such services are provided by the NHS.

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, executive member responsible for adult social care said: “The decision to close Leeds Crisis Centre has not been taken lightly, but is a sad consequence of the devastating spending cuts passed onto us by the Government.

“We have had to look at the bigger picture and take into consideration all the alternatives that are available in the city. It just isn’t possible for us to continue to fund the centre when the NHS receives significant funding for its mental health and counselling services, which are expanding and are accessible to everyone.”

The authority must make savings of £90m over the next 12 months and has already confirmed 1,500 jobs will go. About 3,000 posts are to be axed over the next four years.

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Its plans for day centres will see the Vale and Stocks Hill close in a move which the authority says will allow it to provide more individual, community-based services.

Coun Yeadon, speaking about the day centres, said there was a need to modernise the service and said increasingly people wanted services suited to their individual needs.

She said by working with the NHS and voluntary sector the authority was confident it could develop a “high quality” service.

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