The Closure of the ACE Centre Oxford:

A message from the trustees

 

Why does the centre have to close?

The decision to close the centre was made at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Trustees on 29th March  2012 with unanimous support from the trustees in attendance and those who voted by proxy.

The reason for closure is simply financial; caused by a reduction in the income from assessments services. This is, to some degree, a result of the financial pressure that schools and local authorities are under, coupled with a lack of sufficient funding from government sources to cover the infrastructure costs of running a small highly specialised centre of expertise.

Despite restructuring the centre in January 2011 to reduce operating costs and transition to a new business model, less dependent on government funding, the centre has run at a deficit for the last twelve months and is therefore no longer sustainable. The trustees had to make the decision to close now so that the remaining limited funds can be used to close the centre in an orderly manner.

It was with regret and frustration that the trustees had to make this decision. To give an idea of size of the financial problem; in order to sustain the centre as a vibrant part of AAC provision in the UK we would need an additional £150,000 on top of all other income. It is clear that the centre is not viable without government support at the present time.

This would enable us to continue “giving people a voice”, to support parents and professionals in the field, and to raise awareness of the impact that knowledge and technology can have on the lives of those people who need assistance to communicate.

What happens next?

The centre will deliver services in April 2012 and then from 1st May 2012 will focus on closing down and will not be open to the public.  The Centre will close its doors for the final time on the last day of June 2012. We will be consulting with other organisations in the field who may wish to take on some of the contracts the centre has, and the trustees are committed to ensuring that once the liabilities of the centre have been met any assets could be transferred to individuals or organisations that would continue to use them to meet the objectives of the ACE Centre.

 

What can you do to help?

The first thing to do is send a message voicing your support for sustained government funding for the ACE Centre Advisory Trust to Andrew Smith MP who is the local MP for the centre and is a strong supporter.

You can do this via his website: http://www.andrewsmithmp.org.uk/

Also copy it to your MP. You can find out who they are and how to contact them at:
http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/

 

An e-petition has been posted on the direct.gov.uk website. You can find and sign the petition at:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/32670 

 

On behalf of the trustees I would like to thank all of you have supported the centre in the past and recognised its value to “giving people a voice”.

Bill Nimmo

Chair of Trustees