A Moray day centre for adults with learning difficulties will now be closed until the end of the year after being temporarily shut due to staffing issues since August.
Towerview in Forres was closed after recruitment problems meant that staffing levels at the facility dropped too low to offer a quality service there.
Users of the day centre were told that the building would be shut until October, however it has now been confirmed that it will not be reopened until December at least.
The facility is run by Health and Social Care Moray (HSCM) which outlined plans for a consultation process with a report due in January to decide the future of it.
Moray MP Douglas Ross is seeking a meeting with Moray Council’s Head of Adult Services to discuss the future for Towerview Day Services in Forres.
He said: “I wrote to the council in August after users at Towerview were told that the facility was closing as an interim measure due to staffing issues, until December at least.
“I have now received a response which admits that the council had ongoing concerns about staffing levels prior to the facility being closed, even though they stated publicly that there was no immediate risk of the facility being closed.
“According to this response the service was actually relying on relief staff who withdrew their services at the start of August, leaving the council without provision for Towerview. That is why service users were told that the facility would not be available to them before December and have been transported to alternative facilities in Elgin ever since.”
A spokeswoman for the HSCM confirmed that a consultation is ongoing about the future of Towerview.
She said: “We are currently consulting with service users, their families and our staff on the long-term requirements for them and how this relates to the future of Towerview.
“The outcomes of the consultation will be reported to a future meeting of the Moray Integration Joint Board.”