A barrage of protesters angry over potential cuts to mental health services greeted councillors outside Leeds Civic Hall this morning.
In the region of half-a-dozen police officers kept a watchful eye on the 20 or so protesters angry at proposed cuts to mental health services in the city.
The protest came despite a decision over controversial plans to close a mental health crisis centre and two day centres being postponed. Senior councillors were due to discuss the proposals for re-organising mental health services at an executive board meeting today.
Security at the Civic Hall was stepped up over fears the protesters would try to disrupt the meeting. Members of the public and press were also asked to leave all bags in the Civic Hall reception.
Protester Lyn Paler, who attends Vale Day Centre in Hunslet, said:
"Taking the money away from us is absolutely disgusting and we are all devastated about this, we will end up isolated if the centres close.
"If the centres close we will all become extremely ill, there are not enough hospital places for us so what will we do. We think there will be more suicides if this happens, that is how desperate we all are."
Another protester Trevor Peacock said:
"The centres and support help us deal with the stigma that is associated with having mental health problems, what will we do without that?"
The large security presence inside the council building highlighted the concerns of councillors that the discussion of the 'The future of mental health counselling, day and supported living services' could be a fraught and possibly a disruptive one. No disruption took place and the protest dispersed.
Acting chair of the executive board, Labour councillor Judith Blake, said the council had received a lot of correspondence which had raised a number of issues that needed to be addressed. She told the meeting: "The item has been withdrawn for discussion today as the consultation has been less than we would have expected. This issue will be re-examined at a future date."
Leeds council's executive member for adult social care has confirmed that more discussions need to take place on proposals to modernise mental health services in the city, before they are progressed any further.
Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, executive board member with responsibility for adult social care, said in statement released by the council:
"It has become clear that we need to hold more discussions before we are in a position to implement the proposed changes to mental health services in the city.
"As a council we are facing unprecedented budget pressures and have to find a way of providing services to meet the needs of vulnerable people in Leeds in the best and most financially viable way possible. We are determined to do this in a way that gives the people of Leeds a voice in our decision making, and it is clear in this case that more discussion needs to take place to enable that to happen.
"We need to look closely at mental health services in the city that are duplicated or that have become outdated, and consult with stakeholders to develop a high quality, efficient service for the future."
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Guest blogger Sarah Carmody is a journalism student at Trinity University College in Horsforth
