Wellington House Day Centre Brighton: Council Votes to Close Last Learning Disability Service Despite Protests
Wellington House Day Centre, Brighton. Image: Brighton and Hove City Council
Brighton and Hove City Council's Cabinet voted on 17 September 2026 to close Wellington House Day Centre in Brighton and move its 21 service users to external providers. The decision was made despite a protest by dozens of parents, carers and union representatives outside Hove Town Hall on the morning of the vote, and against the advice of opponents who say the council's own cost projections do not add up and that no other provider in the city can meet the most complex needs of the current attendees.
Wellington House is the last council-run day centre for adults with learning disabilities and autism in Brighton and Hove. It will not close until the council has completed individual transition plans for all 21 attendees and is satisfied that their needs can be met locally to at least the same standard.
Who Uses Wellington House and What They Need
The 21 adults currently attending Wellington House have a wide range of complex needs. Eight are described in council papers as having complex behavioural support requirements. A number are autistic and have additional needs including communication difficulties, sensory processing differences, epilepsy, sight loss, physical disabilities and health conditions requiring a high level of support.
Families and campaigners say Wellington House has become a home away from home for a group of people who have previously struggled at other services, and that the social connections and staff relationships built up over many years cannot simply be transferred to a new provider.
"Some of these people have incredibly profound needs that we believe no other provider in the city can give them a space for. There's loads of room in Wellington House for more people. Bring them in and then you bring that unit cost down. It could be a centre of excellence for this kind of service. So we say fill it, don't close it."
Corinna Edwards-Colledge, Unison branch secretary, Brighton and Hove
Why the Council Says It Has to Close
The council's case for closure rests on three arguments: the building, the money and the attendance. Wellington House was not designed for the range of needs it now provides for, would require significant investment to bring to modern standards and has increasing maintenance costs. Attendance has fallen, and when young adults reached eligibility age they have tended to choose other providers.
Original projected saving
£400,000
per year
Revised actual saving
£336,563
per year
Three-year total saving
£1m+
by 2030
Source: Brighton and Hove City Council Cabinet report, September 2026
Cllr Mitchie Alexander, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities, Public Health and Adult Social Care, said:
"We know people care deeply about Wellington House and the service it provides, but recommissioning the support is the right thing to do. Wellington House is an old style of day centre and in a building that is no longer fit for purpose, so this is a very good opportunity to match attendees with high quality support that is modern, fits our Learning Disability Strategy and is sustainable for the future."
The council says there are six existing providers of day services in the city, with new providers also setting up shortly. Each person will be matched to a new provider taking into account individual needs, preferences and friendship groups, informed by Care Act reviews. Any alternative provision must meet the full assessed needs of each attendee.
Council Says vs What Critics Say
THE COUNCIL SAYS
Six providers have capacity for all 21 current attendees
The building is not fit for purpose and would need significant investment
No one will move until individual transition plans are complete
Attendance has been falling and younger people are choosing other services
CRITICS SAY
No other provider can meet the most complex needs of current attendees
The real cost of closure could far exceed the saving once care breaks down
The consultation may have been predetermined, contrary to the law
Need is actually increasing, not falling, according to Hill Park School
David Plant, chair of governors at Hill Park School and father of a pupil there, submitted evidence to the council describing the closure as a "serious strategic mistake", saying it would be "removing essential specialist capacity at precisely the time when the evidence from our school indicates that need is increasing." His submission also flagged that the Care Quality Commission had previously raised concerns about gaps in the council's provision and its understanding of future need.
Unison warned before the vote that the council appeared to have loaded the costs of keeping Wellington House open to make it look more expensive than external alternatives, and had ignored potential ways to bring in extra revenue by filling empty places. The union also noted that the council justified closing a previous day centre in Portslade on the basis that Wellington House would expand, a promise that is now being broken.
Green councillor Raphael Hill spoke against the closure at Cabinet, describing Wellington House as a community offering a lifeline for families. The five-year contracts awarded to independent providers from September 2026 are worth a combined £12.8 million. Including a potential three-year extension, that works out at around £1.6 million a year compared to Wellington House's current running cost of £803,000 a year.
How It Got Here
February 2026
Closure included in the 2026/27 budget agreed at Full Budget Council, with a forecast saving of £400,000 a year
14 April to 7 July 2026
12-week public consultation including service user sessions via Speak Out Advocacy, Learning Disability Partnership Board meetings, Parent and Carer Council, Amaze, family forums and staff meetings
September 2026
Council awards five-year contracts worth £12.8 million to independent day service providers
17 September 2026
Cabinet votes to close. Protesters gather outside Hove Town Hall before the meeting. Revised saving confirmed at £336,563 a year
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