Pledge to halt closure of skills hub 'ambiguous'

A campaigner described a council promise to scrap plans to close a skills hub for vulnerable adults as a "stay of execution" and said it had done little to provide long-term reassurance.

Hayley Janceski, whose brother Richard is one of the 29 people supported by the Industrial Hub in Peterborough, said a pledge to "halt the proposal" was "ambiguous".

Peterborough City Council had said it could withdraw funding from the hub, which gives training and work experience to people with autism and learning disabilities.

It has since said it will work with service users and their families to "look at how a new service could be developed" to provide "greater opportunities and a financial saving".

The authority said it faced a budget gap of more than £20m in 2025/26, and closing the hub, which is part of the City College's Day Opportunities programme, could save £500,000.

Hundreds signed a petition opposing the move.

Ms Janceski criticised a letter to service users which said the hub "will not close for now".

"When you're telling an autistic person or a person with learning disabilities that something won't happen for now, it's ambiguous," she said.

"If this letter is supposed to provide reassurance, it does the opposite. If anything, it's more distressing.

"It's not closing for now, but when?"

She also criticised the suggestion in the council's letter that users should be supported to "be more independent, stay healthy and happy [and] find good jobs", calling it a "real insult".

"These are the best jobs they've ever had," she said. "My brother's been there since 2018. He's never been more happy."

Some users needed carers or supported living, she added, making independence or certain kinds of employment an "unachievable goal".

The hub, based in Hampton, provides training and work experience in woodworking, garden maintenance, recycling, painting and crafting.

Shabina Qayyum, a Labour councillor who is the cabinet member for public health and adult social care, asked council officers to stop pursuing the closure of the hub and instead look at how to transform the service.

"I can safely say that the decision to close the hub has been taken off the table for now and a period of thoughtful interaction with all involved will now take place," she said.

"I realise the distress this has caused those who have used the hub and their families."

She added that the council's commitment to encouraging "independence" and "meaningful employment" for people with learning disabilities was "driving the change we want to make to this service", as well as the need to save money.

Ms Janceski said Qayyum "has been fighting for the Industrial Hub".

"We have a really good councillor there on our side, but I think it's just a stay of execution," she said.

Peterborough City Council said it will still be spending £5m to provide day opportunities for people with learning disabilities, including £1.7m with City College.

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