Yep: a faceless service user

Deptfordvisions has photos from the Breckon Hill community centre in Middlesbrough, which we visited on Thursday.

The centre is likely to close as part of Middlesbrough’s austerity measures. The income it used to generate through hall hire to community groups is disappearing as those groups have their funding withdrawn by the council.

The centre also used to receive some income for projects from the council, but that funding source is also drying up – a good example of the knock-on effects of these big council cutbacks.

The centre offers daycentre facilities for people with learning and physical disabilities, skills classes, language classes and back-to-work employment support. About 500 people use the centre every week. On Thursday, when we visited, the centre was full by 10am.

The back-to-work support is especially popular – small businesses in Middlesbrough have suffered particularly badly in the recession and people need to find other sources of income.

Will post in more detail about this soon.