A Rochester day care centre for disabled residents could close under proposals to save £2.1m from Medway Council’s adult social care budget.

Councillors are set to launch a consultation with users and families on closing the Balfour Day Care Centre, in Pattens Lane, after numbers fell in the past year.

The council said the number of people who used day care centres across Medway had dropped by more than a third, from 1,618 to 1,071.

It is said to be because more people are moving away from using traditional care provision and instead opting for personalised budgets, which allow adults to make their own choice by selecting how they spend the money provided to help them.

The Balfour Centre has lost 20% of users in the past year and now has only has 108 people on its books.

Cllr David Brake, portfolio holder for adult health and social care, said: "I can understand that people may be concerned about the possibility that things may change, but I would like to assure those receiving adult social care services that they will continue to receive high quality care.

"We are finding that people are opting to take control of the kind of care and support they receive and taking advantage of the freedom of choice personalised budgets offer."

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