The Welsh government was urged to “scrutinise” the decision made to change the services at a Llanidloes day centre.

In the Senedd this week MS Russell George called on the government to intervene in the future of the Sylfaen day centre, which offers supervised daytime opportunities, activities and socialising for disabled adults in mid Wales.

Service users and carers have been in uproar since Powys County Council announced changes to the service, which includes reducing the size of the centre and limiting who can use it.

Opposing the changes, MS Russell George called on the Social Justice Secretary and Chief Whip Jane Hutt MS on 2 December to examine the council's decisions.

He said: “Sylfaen provides vital support to adults with learning disabilities and their families.

“It is difficult to understand why Powys would reduce the facility when demand is rising, and there is currently a waiting list of people wanting to attend the centre.

“I asked the minister to look closely at this decision and to set out how the Government is supporting councils to maintain and improve provision for people with learning disabilities.”

A meeting on 1 December was held between service users, carers and Powys County Council representatives over the changes, with the meeting agreeing to call on the council to pause negotiations for leasing out half of the centre until a formal consultation into the centre’s future had taken place.

MS George, who attended the meeting, said: “There was a good turnout in Llanidloes at the public meeting this week.

“Family members of those who rely on Sylfaen spoke out powerfully about what the centre means to them.

“I was pleased Cllr Pete Roberts, the Cabinet Member responsible, and senior council officers attended, and we now await their response.”

MS Hutt replied by agreeing that these meetings “were the only way forward”, “that local authorities or any government at any level actually do engage with the people who are affected by the difficult decisions that need to be made, to ensure that they get the right answers in terms of the way forward.”

She added it was “important that we find out what does suit and work for disabled people, and they have to be in the lead”.

As well as calling for an investigation into Powys Council’s decisions to change Sylfaen’s services, George called on Hutt to answer how the government was supporting and funding local authorities to support services for adults with learning disabilities, how the government was supporting authorities to run centres such as Sylfaen, and how the government scrutinises decisions made by local authorities on those services.

Powys County Council has been contacted for comment.