Letter: Closing Shawfield Day Centre is a Disgrace

Published on: 31 Mar, 2022
Updated on: 31 Mar, 2022

The Shawfield Day Centre

From: Paul Spooner

Conservative borough councillor for Ash South & Tongham

In response to: It’s Confirmed – Budget Cutbacks Mean Ash Day Centre For Elderly People Will Close

Cllr Paul Abbey is completely wrong to give the impression that Shawfield Day Centre was underused. Did he ever attend?

As I stated when I attended the GBC Executive to express my disappointment, the situation in Ash and Tongham is extremely disappointing and whilst The Hive is a good community hub for north Guildford the loss of services in Ash and Tongham is disgraceful.

Responses to Letter: Closing Shawfield Day Centre is a Disgrace

Lesley Hastie Reply

March 31, 2022 at 4:09 pm

Ash always seems to be the poor neighbour. With all the building that’s going on I would have thought the day centre would be necessary in the future. It isn’t always a pleasant drive to Guildford.
Jim Allen Reply

March 31, 2022 at 5:52 pm

I too think the closure of any day centre is a crying shame for the elderly who are losing so many community-based things like toilets and the Bellfield’s allotments, also a community facility, now severed in two by the false God of “Bricks and Mortar”, worshipped by those behind our Local Plan.
Mark Stamp Reply

April 1, 2022 at 12:02 am

I would ask Cllr Spooner what he would have cut instead? Given the Conservative government’s massive cuts in local authority funding, the previous GBC administration’s spending (pop up village etc) and the lack of responsibility for infrastructure being displayed by Conservative led SCC, some things have to be unfortunately cut.
Jules Cranwell Reply

April 1, 2022 at 1:38 am

Perhaps Cllr Spooner could ask his developer contacts to untrouser some cash to keep Shawfield running? After all, they’ve done exceedingly well from his Local Plan.
Lyn Day Reply

April 1, 2022 at 9:55 am

There was a greater number of people attending Shawfield and the Meadows than the Hive. But as stated before, Ash Parish is the poor neighbour.

GBC, expecting people with dementia to travel to Guildford from Ash, obviously have no knowledge of how dementia patients react to different situations.

Ash parish is ok for hundreds of houses being squeezed in but none of the money GBC receive from the developers is spent in the areas affected. Shame on GBC.