MCC’s Cabinet today agreed that the new base for the My Day My Life service in Monmouth will be the Overmonnow Family Learning Centre, and backed the proposal from the Cabinet Member for Social Care to defer the decision on the base in Abergavenny.

Our vision is that all vulnerable adults have the opportunity to fulfil the aspirations that they have set themselves – to meet friends, take part in stimulating and pleasurable activities and where possible develop their independence as part of our welcoming and supportive Monmouthshire community.

This vision has informed our approach to shaping future services, specifically in our proposals for people who use MDML to have a shared building as a base from which they will access a range of activities organised in the community. We are pleased that we are able to move forward with this in Monmouth. 

In Abergavenny, however; we want to pause, as local community groups and other interested parties also have a strong stake in the development of supportive communities and we would like more time to continue our discussions with them to see where we can work more collaboratively in developing a shared approach. 

Cabinet is clear that there needs to be a base in Abergavenny to meet the specific needs of the relatively small group of adults with a diagnosed learning disability currently supported through My Day My Life – a service that will continue to be funded and organised by MCC and its dedicated staff team. Rather than proceed with the decision at this point, we agreed today that we need more time to further consider the options, particularly how our choice of base for MDML could support other community organisations who are seeking to provide support and sociability for a wider group of individuals with physical disabilities, neurological challenges, mental health needs and learning difficulties. 

Cllr Ian Chandler, Cabinet member for Social Care, said: “I am committed to developing a shared vision for how we support people of all abilities in our county. I want this vision to include high quality spaces, which are welcoming and accessible, that can be used by different groups of people from the wider community as well as those directly supported by the Council. This is why, prior to taking any further decisions about the base for MDML in Abergavenny, I have asked for more time”.

“Before making the final decision, I would like another opportunity to bring together the different community groups and other stakeholders to further explore their needs and aspirations how they could best be supported”.

‘In the meantime, I have asked council officers to continue to support those community organisations to develop and raise the funding that they need to achieve their aspirations”. 

“I also want to assure people using MDML that support to access day opportunities will continue as before. We are determined that the decision about the location of the home base in Abergavenny will be made as soon as possible so that we can proceed with the full implementation of the recommendations from the Practice Solutions review”.