There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to a petition recieved from Ms S McGrattan in the following terms:

"This petition is in regards to the merger and closure of Milldale Day Opportunities Services. We as a family (parents, carers and service users) feel that this service is vital to the well being of the vulnerable adults that attend this centre.

I remember very well being at the proposal of the closure of Greensyde to form the Milldale and was reassured that this would be a long lasting service building. 10 years later this is being taken away from our families. We urge the decision making team to reconsider this decision.

A large majority of adults that attend the centre at autistic. This means the need a very structured life that is dependent on routines and all aspects of life remaining the same. Something as small as a staff member being off sick is enough to distress these vulnerable adults. We have concerns regarding the building of the Mirin that some of our service users would move to. And feel the most able bodied service users will be placed in the community to find activities to take up their day.

This caused a deep distress to me as my daughter Jemma may not be physically disadvantaged. I fear she will be walking around Paisley going to places that will not interest her. Taken away from the friends she calls family and won’t have the social element in her life that Milldale have vitally provide for her. I know her and many others will recoil and their quality of life will diminish.

I have fought all my life for inclusion and feel that this decision to close and merge the Milldale centre is the opposite of what I believe all these adults have the right to have. I believe that there has been a £14 million overspend that the council needs to claw back on. However, I also believe that this overspend was not the fault of the older adults with disabilities group. Which further more seems increasingly unfair for them to be targeted and effected.

I also have autistic nephews that attend Riverbrae School. This is a huge worry as to where will be available for them in the future.”

The Clerk to the Board intimated that there had been an error in Section 1.5 of the report. It was noted that the reference to the response from the Head of Strategic Planning and Health Improvement should have read the Head of Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Alcohol and Drugs Recovery Services.

The Head of Corporate Governance provided a verbal update on the current position in relation to the proposed merger of the Mirin and Milldale Day Opportunities Services which was considered as part of a wide range of service proposals at the meeting of the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board (IJB) held on 22 March 2024. Members of the IJB had been advised that the matter had become subject to a judicial review. A motion had been made that the IJB agree not to merge the services and an amendment had then been submitted seeking to continue consideration of the matter to a future IJB meeting. A vote had been taken in which four members voted for the motion and four voted for the amendment. This meant that, in accordance with the IJB standing orders, the matter would either be considered at a future meeting of the IJB or be subject to their dispute resolution procedures.

Ms McGrattan was in attendance at the meeting and addressed the Board in support of her petition.

In terms of Standing Order 59 Councillor Burns, moved that the petition be referred to the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board. This was agreed unanimously.

DECIDED: That the petition be referred to the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board.

There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to a
petition received from Ms L Clulow in the following terms:

"Lack of safe places to cross the main road and council policy are putting children residing in the streets surrounding Newton Avenue (including Roundhill Dr; Newton Dr; Newton Ave and part Main Rd) in danger. This small pocket of streets which is 0.02 miles under the qualifying 2 mile zone excludes secondary school children from travelling to and from Castlehead using the council's 'Safe travel to school' bus.

This policy technicality means:

a lone child can be expected to make a 48 min each way walk on own crossing 2 busy roads with no safe crossing.

OR

The child could use public transport (on own). With no nearby safe crossing (running gauntlet of main rd or crossing over cycle bridge which is known for daylight sex attacks not viable options) the child must walk 10 mins (in opposite direction to where they are going) to the bottom of Glenpatrick Rd to use pedestrian crossing and then get the public bus from the same stop their peers wait for the school bus. They would then have to traverse from the museum to the school on foot (and in the dark during winter months)

Both these options are deeply unsettling for both parent and child.

This petition is asking that the council provide children residing in these areas attending Castlehead with a safe place to cross the main road and an unconditional school bus pass allowing travel to and from school safely with peers.

The councils 'safe travel to school' policy hasn't been reviewed in 10 years. There have been significant traffic, societal and infrastrucural changes since then. With the new houses being built at the top of Newton Ave, the existing traffic problems is only going to worsen."

Ms Clulow was in attendance at the meeting and addressed the Board in support of her petition.

The Board heard from the Road Safety Officer who advised that the Council would undertake to carry out an evaluation of the route walked by pupils from the area in question to Castlehead High School to ensure that it still complied with the Local Authority Road Safety Officers Association guidelines. It was also intimated that the installation of a road crossing would be investigated and that the service would work with the lead petitioner to identify the desired location.

In terms of Standing Order 59 Councillor Burns, moved that the petition be referred to the Directors of Children's Services and Environment, Housing & Infrastructure for further investigation without any specific recommendation. This was agreed unanimously.

DECIDED:  That the petition be referred to the Directors of Children's Services and Environment, Housing & Infrastructure for further investigation without any specific recommendation.