“IT’S THE worst decision I have seen the council make in fifteen years”.

That’s the damning verdict from one councillor on the decision to close Kentish Road respite centre.

Conservative Cllr Peter Baillie added: “It’s the wrong decision. But the council haven’t got the guts to stand back and make the right decision. These are most vulnerable people in our society”.

Campaigner Clare Mar-Molinero called the three year process “utterly shambolic” while mum Amanda Guest criticised adult care boss Cllr Warwick Payne for failing to meet directly with people affected .

But Cllr Payne hit back saying that legal proceedings prevented him from meeting with clients - and that made him “upset”.

Campaigners also complained that “no transition” arrangements had been made for the people who used Kentish Road - and mum Lisa Stead blamed council “ineptness” for the fact that she has lost six nights of respite and called the decision “disgusting” and “outrageous”.

But service lead Paul Juan denied the fact and that some clients had been given help.

Ending the meeting SCC leader Simon Letts gave his “personal commitment” that 32B - a smaller building on the Kentish Road site - would be open “very early in the new year" and added he would ask carers to “co-design” the centre.

He said: “Nobody was interested in taking on Kentish Road - it was too big and too expensive”.

He said that the issue with Kentish Road was due to a “fundamental flaw” with the direct payments system, which does not allow users to pay for council services with them.

He said if that was possible, it could have allowed room for manoeuvre.

Campaigners said it’s now “the end of the road” for legal action as they have "struggled" to get a judicial review, but that they would continue to campaign.