Middlesbrough Deaf Centre has been earmarked for closure as part of the council’s wide-ranging cost-cutting plan. More than 80 people attended a highly-charged public meeting at the centre in Park Road South yesterday to discuss the proposal.
Dave Walker, a user of the facilities, speaking through signing, said: “I was born and bred in Boro - for over 65 years and what people need to realise is that there are two worlds.
“There’s the hearing world and the deaf world. Moving us out of our world and just telling us to get around in the hearing world is not simple. It’s not helpful and it’s not what we want.
“Splitting us up would be like you moving to Nepal and just when you started feeling part of the only English speaking club, finding out the club could close or move to another part of the country - and without any language skills you have to find your own way there.”
Brenda Moore, whose 93-year-old aunt, Marjorie Johnson, uses the centre, said: “Shutting this centre will shut people out of the only world they know.”
Last month Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon unveiled a package of 78 proposed cuts. They aimed to contribute £10m of the £13.8m of cuts the council has to make in its budget next year. The proposed cuts range from the closure of council buildings to staffing and management restructures and increased charges.
The public meeting was attended by service users, their families and centre staff.
Pauline Stevenson, strategy and delivery manager for adult care at Middlesbrough Council, pledged that the authority remained committed to providing services to the deaf community.
She said “I must stress that at this stage it is only a proposal to close the Middlesbrough Deaf Centre building.”
A meeting of the full Middlesbrough Council will be held next month when the Mayor, Ray Mallon, will present final proposals for making the required savings.
He will also make a further statement regarding the remaining £3.5m that has to be found.
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