Hillingdon Council is set to decide on the closure of a local garden centre that offers social support and activities to vulnerable adults across the area, including in Northwood and Ruislip.
At a meeting on Friday, May 30, residents were informed that the Rural Activities Garden Centre (RAGC) in Uxbridge could close. They were told the site operates at a loss of £137,000 last year, which is subsidised by Hillingdon taxpayers.
The centre is used as a social volunteering hub for vulnerable individuals with learning disabilities and other conditions. The report on the future of the RAGC will be considered by the council’s cabinet on Thursday, June 26.
Speaking to Northwood & Ruislip News, Ruislip resident and Hillingdon councillor Sital Punja said: “I am appalled and devastated for the individuals, families and staff, as well as for our borough. RAGC was set up over 40 years ago, and residents deserve a public consultation on the future of the centre.
“One volunteer doesn’t have any family at all nearby, and the voluntary work is part of his independent living package. The volunteers and staff at the garden centre are his family.”
The report proposes the council continue its social care support at the Civic Centre campus in Uxbridge.
Councillor Eddie Lavery, Hillingdon Council’s cabinet member for community and environment, said: “Unfortunately, the bottom line is the RAGC’s retail operations were not sustainable. The council lacks the commercial expertise and funds to compete with other garden centres, and we simply cannot expect our residents to subsidise a loss-making retail venture when the site could be put to a more sustainable use.”
A petition against the proposed closure – which calls the site “an irreplaceable social care resource” – now has more than 5,900 signatures.
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