The closure of Maidstone’s Dorothy Lucy Centre has edged closer despite an eleventh hour appeal for a reprieve.

County councillors have backed the closure plan and a final decision will now be taken by the cabinet member in charge of adult care in the county.

Protestors lobbied councillors ahead of today’s meeting of a cross-party watchdog committee and said that the closure would have a devastating impact on residents and staff.

Cllr Brian Clarke, who represents the area, said: “What we are doing is breaking up the centre into units. What we are really doing is breaking it up like a jigsaw.

"There are economies of scale but this goes way beyond money. I do not think this is the right time to be doing this.”

He said KCC should keep the centre fully open for a further year, then review the situation rather than allowing it to limp along as a day care centre for another year.

“This is all about money and it always has been,” he said.

He questioned whether there were other private-sector groups who had the experience needed to provide the kind of dementia care needed.

The committee heard from Marian Reader, who has had a relative in the centre’s care.

She told councillors that there was a rising number of elderly people in Maidstone and made a plea for a rethink.

“Elderly people do not like to be moved. Why do you want to close a centre like this? It is very short-sighted. Why close something that is as good as this?” she said.

Labour councillor Tom Maddison said KCC needed a mixed economy of care centres that included council-run homes.

Cllr Graham Gibbens, the Conservative cabinet member for adult care, said: “I am not going to say that cost is not an issue. For me, it is about the quality of care.

"We are looking hard at how we are going to provide the right sort of care as we move forward. I will not make any decision until I am satisfied that we have alternative provision in place.”

The Dorothy Lucy Centre has a total of 135 day-care places per week, with 53 people currently using the service. Some are classed as “elderly/frail” and others have dementia.

Age UK Maidstone is the main provider of day services in the community. They will be able to accommodate the elderly/frail citizens at their centres, but do not have enough capacity at their Dorothy Goodman Centre, in Bearsted, to take the users with dementia.

KCC is hoping another dementia care provider will emerge, possibly with a centre at the Mid Kent Shopping Centre in Allington. Alternatively KCC may consider creating a new day centre itself.

Four private care homes in the Maidstone area have offered to take Dorothy Lucy’s residential patients.

The centre, built in 1985, has 28-beds, but currently has only one permanent resident and four short-term respite care residents.

Faversham and Mid Kent MP, Helen Whatley, who campaigned against closure, said: “I am disappointed. The Dorothy Lucy Centre is a much valued community asset and the staff there have done great work over many years caring for the frail and elderly, as well as providing support to local families who needed respite facilities.

“While I understand the reasons KCC have put forward for closing the centre, providing high-quality health care locally is a must.

“I will continue to press KCC to ensure good replacement facilities are actually in place before the final closure of centre takes place.”