Picket line outside the Central Hill Day Centre

Lambeth Council halts closure of day centre on Central Hill! Big win for the campaign

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Today UNISON was informed that the new Green Administration in Lambeth – led by Martin Abrhams – took an excellent step to pause the closure of the Central Hill Day Centre.

The Council’s new position is “This announcement includes a pause to all closure activity and any voluntary or compulsory redundancy processes while the Council undertakes a detailed review of the proposal and alternative options.”

Furthermore the Council has agreed ot start referrals to the day centre, a major source of contention during the dispute as referrals had been paused for over 18 months which led to the centre being ‘under utilised’ which was one of the main reasons for closing the centre.

The announcement was made on the Love Lambeth website.

Staff took 4 days of strike action, and were in the middle of a week of strike action when the announcement was made. Joint Branch Secretary Simon Hannah said; “This is a real win for UNISON members fighting for proper public services. I’m so proud of everyone that took action and fought for what is right. Public services don’t have to be destroyed in the name of austerity.“

UNISON’s formal statement is below

UNISON strike action Forces pause on dementia day care closure

UNISON members have secured a victory in the fight to save a vital dementia care service in Lambeth after industrial action forced the council to pause plans to close the adult day care centre on the central hill estate.

The centre, run by Lambeth Council, provides essential support for residents living with dementia and their families. With around 2,000 people currently living with dementia in the borough, a figure expected to rise as the population ages, the proposed closure raised serious concerns about the future of local care provision.

The council’s plans would have resulted in the loss of 10 jobs. Throughout consultations, UNISON repeatedly called on the employer to explore alternative options to protect both the service and staff. However, members felt that these concerns were not being adequately addressed.

UNISON members organised a protest outside Lambeth town hall, sending a clear message that the loss of jobs and vital community services was unacceptable. Members then voted in favour of industrial action and took four days of strike action in support of their campaign.

The action has now delivered a breakthrough. Following the strike, the employer has agreed to pause the closure process and undertake a review of the decision. UNISON will be involved in that review, ensuring that the voices of the members are heard.

As a result of this progress, the remainder of this week’s planned industrial action has been suspended.

UNISON welcomes the pause and the commitment to review the decision.

Day centre staff in Lambeth to take strike action to save local services

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Faced with the proposed closure of the specialist dementia Day Centre on Central Hill Estate, UNISON members have voted overwhelmingly for strike action. 

Lambeth Council has proposed the closure of the day centre and the elimination of 10 posts in the service. They want to move the remaining service to a room in the Aspire building which is inadequate for helping people with dementia who often have complex needs. The Alzheimer’s Society reports there are currently estimated to be 982,000 people with dementia in the UK, but more than a third of people with the condition do not have a diagnosis. The number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. 

Simon Hannah, joint branch secretary of Lambeth UNISON was clear “Lambeth Council have run down this service to save money which is a crying shame for the people of Lambeth. It is the only dedicated day centre for people with dementia where their carers can also get some respite from 24/7 care. Staff are dedicated to helping local residents and want to save jobs and ensure a quality service. Management needs to come to the table with realistic alternatives that ensure the local service is sustainable.

The decision to close the specialist day centre and offer a much more reduced service is driven by savings of only £350,000 and the results of a ‘pilot scheme’ that saw most people referred to other services, effectively running down the service on Central Hill Estate. This has meant some people with dementia and their carers not getting the level of care that they would have otherwise received.”

The vote was 100% for strike action on a 90% turn out. This means staff will be on picket lines at the Council’s only dementia facility.

The first date of strike action is 14th May.

Lambeth UNISON to ballot for strike action to save dementia services

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UNISON members at Central Hill Day Centre are voting for strike action to save jobs and prevent the local specialist dementia service from closing.

Lambeth Council has announced cost saving plans to close the Day Centre and have a reduced service at Aspire, a nearby organisation that currently works with adults with learning difficulties. 

The current team of staff that specialise in dementia care will lose 10 posts and the remaining staff will be reallocated to a single room at Aspire. 

Staff, carers and UNISON do not believe that this is a proposal that delivers for people with dementia in Lambeth.  The Day Centre is the only specialist dementia service the Council provides – in a borough with an ageing population where instances of dementia are likely to increase. 

Management claim that there is reduced need for the service because they imposed an 18 month review which saw people living with dementia signposted elsewhere even when they would have benefited from the day centres expert care.  

The Council’s position that there is a reduced demand for dementia services is ridiculous and primarily driven by cost saving demands. 

UNISON joint branch secretary Simon Hannah said “this is an essential service that has been cynically run down by the council over the last 2 years and now faces closure.  Lambeth is failing in its duty of care to people with dementia and their families. Staff and the local community will fight this all the way. We are calling on the council to do what is right, stop the closure and properly resource this service.”

The ballot will run throughout April just as Labour councillors are seeking election for Council seats.

Why is Lambeth closing Central Hill adult day care centre?

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The day care centre on Central Hill Estate is run by Lambeth Council to provide dementia care for residents in the borough. There are around 2000 people living with dementia in Lambeth and that figure is set to rise as the elderly population increases over the coming years.

Now Lambeth Council are proposing to close the adult day care centre on Central Hill Estate. This would lead to the loss of 10 posts and a much reduced “bespoke” service nearby. This is a short sighted move driven by financial considerations not residents needs.

Management say that the number of people using the service has declined by 50% since 2020. They also cite “overspend” of £5.5 million on Adult services which is part of the ongoing financial crisis in local finance.

The reality is the service has been run down by Lambeth Council for a while now whilst the number of people diagnosed with dementia in the borough is increasing. Lambeth has some of the highest numbers of people with dementia in the capital yet claims it cannot sustain numbers of service users? Now the community is paying the price.

A number of referrals to the service in the last 18 months have been refused. Recent operational records raise serious concern about how the service has been reduced. Council data shows:

  • 57 people were listed as using the service in January 2023 post Covid
  • Only 28 people were still attending by December 2024 to date
  • That is a reduction of 29 people — over 50% of the cohort in less than two years

We do not accept that this demonstrates reduced demand. Rather, the evidence indicates that people who needed the service were not being referred or were turned away, while dementia prevalence in the borough continues to rise. At the same time, attendance records show 19 referrals were rejected during the review period and referrals are still on hold one year later for no good reason. Had those referrals proceeded, the service would have supported around 47 people plus, close to previous levels once normal turnover in dementia services is considered.

Many believe that the decision to close the site was taken 18 months ago and this is a process of running down the service to make its closure ‘inevitable’. Local managers were excluded from budget deciding meetings despite normally attending. Service users were consulted on some proposed changes in a way that staff felt obscured what was really happening.

Considering this is part of a saving of £800,000 it is a huge loss for such a small amount. The Councils own pay data shows senior management (on roughly over 100k) cost over £8 million a year.[Link] The disaster over Homes For Lambeth has cost the council nearly £60 million.[link] And data from 2025 shows the Council is owed over £62 million in unpaid invoices and debts.[link]

The staff want to fight to save this local service and the trade unions are backing them!

Some things you can do

Sign and share the petition

https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-closure-of-central-hill-adult-care-centre-in-lambeth

JOIN THE DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE CUTS TO LOCAL SERVICES
Wednesday 4th March 2026
6pm Outside Lambeth Town Hall

This is the Council’s budget setting meeting where they will enshrine more redundancies and reductions in services.

https://www.facebook.com/events/905606365184633


Download and share the graphic below.

Write to the Cabinet Members for Healthier Communities (job share) Councillor Nanda Manley-Browne and Councillor David Bridson to outline your concerns.

Nanda Manlet Browne NManleyBrowne@lambeth.gov.uk

David Bridson DBridson@lambeth.gov.uk

Lambeth – death by a thousand cuts

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DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE CUTS TO LOCAL SERVICES

Wednesday 4th March 2026 – 6pm Outside Lambeth Town Hall

Lambeth Council is facing a budget crisis. A large part of it is to do with decades of underfunding and cuts from the Conservative run government. Some of it is self inflicted like the disastrous fall out from Homes For Lambeth.

Image of leaflet Salve Lambeth local services! Protest on 4th March at 6pm outside the Town Hall

As a result the Council is slashing millions from its budget. It faces a “cliff edge”, either this year or next. It means even more job cuts on an already overworked and stretched workforce.

But for the people of Lambeth it means further reductions in services

  • The closure of Central Hill day centre one of the few services in the borough for people with dementia
  • Libraries and leisure centres on skeleton staffing levels. 
  • A consultation on possible closure nurseries at Maytree, Effra and Triangle.
  • £700k from the parks budget with potentially sweeping job losses

The list is growing. 

This is on top of the continuing housing crisis in the borough with huge waiting lists, thousands of people in contemporary accommodation and still reeling from penalties levelled by the Housing Ombudsman for failing tenants. 

UNISON and community groups have called a protest on 4th March outside the Town Hall in Brixton as this is the date for full Council to agree the budget.

DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE CUTS TO LOCAL SERVICES

Wednesday 4th March 2026

6pm Outside Lambeth Town Hall

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Lambeth Housing: overworked and stressed

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A recent survey of UNISON members at Lambeth Council who work in Housing has shown the scale of the problem of local government struggling under a decade of austerity, poor political decisions and a culture of overwork as staff struggling to deal with significant problems in the borough.

UNISON Housing Survey into workload and stress

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Survey of UNISON members in Housing December 2025 – January 2026
109 responded to this survey

Join the march against the far right! 28th March London

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The voices of division in our country are growing louder. Those who preach division are becoming more confident.

For the first time we face a far-right party topping the polls, and far right protests on our streets mobilising the biggest numbers they ever have.

Their false promises seize on the very real economic problems people face, in order to scapegoat migrants, Muslims, and refugees.

But we can change things together. The voices of unity can grow stronger. We can show that strength lies in solidarity. That the change we need comes from us working together for hope not despair, for unity not racism.

This is why the Together Alliance has been formed. 

Together we can reject narratives of division and racism.

Together we can build solidarity across communities.

Together we can unite against the far right.

Our alliance of over 80+ organisations and hundreds of individuals is coming together to say enough is enough.

We are mobilising and organising across the country to bring a message of hope over fear, prior to holding a major demonstration in London on 28 March 2026.

Lambeth UNISON will be joining the protest on 28th March and there are plans for a meeting point in south London and a feeder march. If you want to help us get the word out then please contact lambethunisonunion@gmail.com