Council approves closure of RAGC retail services

At the meeting, Cabinet agreed the loss-making centre on West Drayton Road would formally stop trading, on or before Thursday 31 July, as it has become financially unsustainable.  

The centre relies on a substantial taxpayer subsidy to keep it afloat, with the council seeing a reduction in the number of attendees with assessed social care needs and using their personal budgets going there for placements. Sales are falling 42 per cent year-on-year, and the site requires prohibitive investment to remain health and safety compliant as a garden centre.  

As part of the council's commitment to ensuring those with assessed social care needs continue to receive tailored support that meets their requirements, Cabinet has decided to continue engagement on the future of those services at the site. 

The council is proposing to relocate volunteers with assessed care needs to its Civic Centre campus in Uxbridge offering enhanced horticultural placements across the site's gardens and public realm areas. This will include the creation of new green spaces next to Uxbridge Library and the new Register Office to be used for library events, weddings and visitor recreation.  

It will give volunteers the opportunity to greatly improve the gardens, working alongside the council's green spaces team, and benefit from its close proximity to other support services, such as Uxbridge Adult Education Centre and Uxbridge Library.  

In recognition of their valuable contributions and the importance of continuity, Cabinet also agreed to continue to consult with the wider group of volunteers and gardeneers attending the RAGC on the support it could provide to help them secure new voluntary work placements of a similar nature with partner organisations within the local area or paid employment.  

The consultation and engagement activity will also use independent advocacy, where appropriate, to ensure all voices are heard and any transitions are handled with care and dignity.  

Gardeneers, who work closely with the centre's volunteers, will be offered social care assessments. 

Cabinet noted initial engagement with volunteers and those with assessed social care needs had already taken place and views from two petitions raised at a hearing earlier this month would also be taken into account as part of the decision-making process.  

A Cabinet Member decision on the future of the site and relocation of its care provision will be made at a later date, following conclusion of the consultation. 

Cllr Jonathan Bianco, Hillingdon Council's Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Property, said: "We will continue to engage with the RAGC's volunteers before a decision on the future of support services at the site is made.   

"I want to strongly reiterate that the council is fully committed to supporting our statutory care users. They will continue to receive tailored, enhanced support to meet their needs, and we will also ensure our wider volunteer groups are guided through any transition. 

"However, it is essential that we deliver value for money for residents. The decision to stop the RAGC's retail operations reflects prudent financial management of a venture that is clearly loss-making, requiring ongoing subsidies and further investment which is an unsustainable use of council and taxpayer funds at a time when council budgets nationally are strained due to prolonged government underfunding." 

For more information about social care, eligibility and assessments, visit www.hillingdon.gov.uk/apply-for-social-care.