The county council’s decision to close three respite centres for adults with physical and learning disabilities in Hertfordshire has been upheld.

The three centres – Tewin Road, in Hemel Hempstead, Hixberry Lane, in St Albans, and Apton Road, in Bishop’s Stortford – are now expected to close within six months.

It will reduce the number of overnight respite places across the county by 14, from 48 to 34.

The decision taken by a meeting of the cabinet in February was formally challenged by a group of Liberal Democrat councillors last Wednesday.

At a special meeting of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee, the party asked for the decision to be sent back to cabinet after opposition councillors questioned the assumptions and data considered by the cabinet.

According to data considered by councillors in advance of the closure decision, the existing eight short break centres in Hertfordshire are underused.

Closing Tewin Road, Hixberry Lane, and Apton Road would save an estimated  £970,000 a year.

But at the scrutiny committee, Conservative councillors supported the cabinet's decision, paving the way for the three centres to close.

Data presented to the cabinet as part of the decision-making process had indicated that occupancy at some of the centres was as low as 44 per cent.

But at the meeting on Wednesday Liberal Democrat Cllr Nigel Quinton said the data was “not as objective as it could have been”.

And he questioned whether the figures took account of periods when some beds had not been available.

He also questioned the selection of centres for closure – pointing to the data that showed occupancy at Tewin Road and Hixbury Lane were already in excess of 80 per cent.

And he said that closing the site in Hemel Hempstead and St Albans would take two centres away from south west of the county.

The consultation responses, he said, highlighted communication issues around availability – and had suggested there were ‘waiting lists’.

Cllr Quinton, member of the adult care and health cabinet panel, said after the meeting: "These closures of much needed Respite Centres by the Tory run county councillors are leaving carers and families distraught. 

"The proposals are wrong and should not have been approved."

In response, executive member for adult care and health Conservative Cllr Richard Roberts acknowledged that change was unwelcome.

But he said there was spare capacity in the system – and that it was the right decision.

He said that the county council was currently paying for empty beds – and that it was not the remit of the council to waste money.

He said 25 per cent of all overnight respite breaks were being taken by a small number of users – with some spending between 70 and 200 nights there.

He stressed that there would be no change in the eligibility for short breaks, as a result of the closures and that as part of the plans there would be investment in the remaining centres.

Cllr Roberts added the service was vital to give carers a break from their caring duties. And he said the plans had been carefully thought through and would be sensitively implemented.