A  major centre for learning difficulty support services in Kirkintilloch is likely to be closed down and merged with a new leisure centre in Milngavie.

East Dunbartonshire Council operates Kelvinbank Resource Centre, which is its main learning disability day service. During the summer, the local Health and Social Care Partnership and the council agreed to investigate potential replacements for this setup.

The preferred option, which was agreed at a HSCP meeting held on Thursday, September 5, is to transfer all services to the planned New Allander Leisure Centre in Milngavie.

HSCP head of mental health noted in her report on the matter: “This option in particular offers significant opportunity to share wide resources and spaces between both the Leisure and Culture Trust and the day service provision. Officers of the HSCP have visited similar learning disability day services that have been integrated into leisure centres in Paisley and Linwood; both services have demonstrated excellent mutual benefits and outcomes.”

During the meeting it was confirmed that there were plans to include a hydrotherapy pool at the new leisure centre, as there are no such facilities on this side of the Clyde and it would offer considerable benefits to the wider  community as well as users of the day service.