The council’s Cabinet has upheld a decision to close the Markhouse Centre, a day centre for adults with learning disabilities and complex needs, reconfirming the council’s vision to provide the best personalised support across the borough. Multiple building surveys also confirmed the need for significant repair work to the building.
The council’s vision for the future of adult social care is to provide person-centred support, tailored to individual needs, strengths and aspirations. This approach will allow all adults with learning disabilities and complex needs to access services flexibly in their community, providing a better value service for these residents and the council. This vision is part of the Council’s mission to make Waltham Forest a great place to live and age well.
The decision also took into account the poor condition of the Markhouse Centre and the cost of making it fit for purpose. A building condition survey conducted in October 2023 by Norse Evolve estimated the building would require investment of £1.2m. In December 2024, the council’s Health and Adults Social Care Scrutiny Committee recommended that the survey was reviewed by a suitably qualified external organisation.
In response to the Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations, the council asked two independent RICS-regulated property surveying firms, Hollis Global and Spectrum Property Services, to conduct surveys of the Markhouse Centre. Both firms agreed with the original Norse Evolve report that the building needed significant expensive repair work to bring it up to an acceptable standard, including the replacement of the heating system and radiators. When infrastructure upgrade costs and industry standard design and contract management fees are factored in for all estimates, these surveys confirmed that the Markhouse Centre would require between £1.0 and £1.3 million in repairs over the next 15 years. Overall, the difference between the highest and lowest of the three estimates is less than £100,000.
Cllr Louise Mitchell, Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, said:
We are committed to supporting residents to have a good quality of life and putting in place the support that they need. We believe moving to a person-centred approach is the best way we can do that, while providing value for money so we can continue to provide help to everyone who needs it.
We recognise the positive impact the Markhouse Centre has had on residents that attend and understand that this decision will be difficult for people who have a connection to the centre. Like all councils across the country, we are facing significant financial challenges amid increasing demand and costs for services. The Markhouse Centre is no longer suitable and would require significant financial investment to make it fit for purpose.
After the decision to close the Centre, the Council will continue to work with service users, carers and staff towards closure, with support for the transition being put in place. This will take into account the diverse needs of residents and their parents and carers, including considering cultural needs and existing friendships. Every person who attends the Markhouse Centre will have a needs review carried out and offered suitable alternative support.
During the original consultation, 70 service users and parents/carers completed the survey. Six drop-in sessions were held, in person and online, and interpreters and support from advocacy organisations Carers First and PohWER were made available to all. Full detail of this can be read in the Cabinet report and consultation responses.
In this difficult financial context, the council must choose the most cost-effective way to continue providing vital services. The council has a legal obligation to deliver services which support homeless families, look after older people and protect children at risk. After fifteen years of reduced Government support, these pressures have grown significantly. The council cares for more young people than previously; the cost of providing social care for adults has risen at twice the rate of inflation over two years; and an acute housing shortage in London has resulted in a greater number of households needing support through temporary accommodation.