CHESHIRE East’s consultation on closing an adult day centre for people with learning disabilities was a ‘sham’ because the decision had already been made three months before, a resident claimed.

The council’s adults and health committee voted last month to close the Stanley Centre in Knutsford.

On Wednesday, at a meeting of the full council, Knutsford resident Charlotte Peters Rock questioned why the cash-strapped authority was spending £1,380 per day for three days a week on an interim chief executive.

She also asked how it could justify hiking up the lowest salary starting point for its new permanent chief executive by £10k to £170k ‘while pulling away rights from service users’.

Knutsford Guardian: Cheshire East Council meeting on WednesdayCheshire East Council meeting on Wednesday (Image: Belinda Ryan, LDRS)Mrs Peters Rock told Wednesday’s meeting at Macclesfield Town Hall: “Cheshire East Council’s financial decisions, under its medium term financial strategy to remove funding in respect of the Stanley Centre, can be shown to have been made in February 2023, prior to the supposed public consultation [which started in May 2023]. That is a predetermined decision which ignores disability rights.”

She added: “That the consultation result was ignored was an absolute sham and mockery of the adult learning disabled and their family and carers and the community which values that local facility.”

Mrs Peters Rock also questioned whether the decision taken by the committee was safe, saying: “That one committee is allowed to make such a dramatic closure without reference to the full council is a disgrace.

"That no real idea could be given to committee members about any cost-saving in disrupting the statutory service at the Stanley Centre, makes the committee decision unsafe.”

No-one at the council responded to her comments. Instead she was told she would be sent a written response, which would also be sent to all councillors.

When the decision was taken at committee last month to close the much-loved centre, where long-term friendships have been formed over many years, there were angry outbursts and cries of ‘shame on you’ from members of the public.

Campaigners had also also argued that the numbers, with regard to the savings the council says it will make, don’t add up.