COUNCILLORS refused to make a u-turn on plans to close day centres - even though there will be more money in the pot.

Haringey Council announced plans to raise council tax by 46p a week to support dementia and autism services at a cabinet meeting at The Civic Centre, Wood Green on February 9.

However, the money will not be used to save day centres, much to the dismay of campaigners who hoped this tax would help their cause.

Ms Langan, of Save Autism Services Haringey (SASH), has described the plans to close the centres as “shocking.”

She said: “While we welcome and are relieved about any possibility of funding not being as catastrophically severe as we feared, the decision to close down day centres is one we regret.

“We consider these plans to be short-sighted. Day centres provide a range of services.”

She fears closing day centres will cause more problems in the long run as those who used to rely on them will end up alone and in need of more support.

She added: “Day Centres could be front line services delivering a creative range of preventive health and support services to vulnerable people.

“Instead Haringey's policy of cutting out day services will produce inefficient and fragmented provision to isolated frail people.

“This will lead to a deterioration in the wellbeing of the most vulnerable in the community.”

The proposals for the closures were passed by the council cabinet in November 2015 with no votes against.

Some of these centres include, Osborne Grove nursing home, Haven day centre, Linden House residential home, dementia care at Grange day centre, and the autism services at Roundways, Birkbeck Road.

Haringey council hope that the rise in council tax will bring in more than £1.7 million per year for adult services.

The council admitted however, that while this extra income will help in the short-term, “soaring demand and ongoing cuts” to grant funding by central government will mean that the additional income will not be enough to prevent some services from closure.

Jason Arthur, cabinet member for resources and culture, has defended the decision.

He said: “We’ve seen our budgets slashed by the government year-on-year since 2010, and our latest projections show that we could have lost as much as half our grant funding by 2018.

“It’s impossible to manage that level of cuts without making some very difficult decisions about how to deliver and pay for essential services – including bring some services to a close.

Mr Arthur further admitted that the day centres will not be part of their “long-term” plans.

He added: “Our hope is that it will help us to meet demand in the short-term while we redesign services to have a stronger focus on early help, independent living and community-based support, all of which are essential if we are to continue to support our communities in the long-term.”

The plans for the budget will be put to the full council on February 22.