An anonymous letter calling on householders in an upmarket part of Widnes to oppose a home for disabled adults has been condemned as “bigoted” and “offensive” by residents and "extremely misleading" by the care company behind the scheme.
The unsigned A4 print-off has been posted to homes in Regency Park, Upton Rocks, where according to RightMove the average house price was £428,333 in 2021..
It made a series of claims about clients who are disabled or have "mental health" problems receiving support that have been widely condemned.
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These include that service users could be “potentially dangerous people” and similar schemes have resulted in problems such as occupants “exposing themselves in the street and through windows” and “violent episodes” during alleged “escape” attempts, and also that “vulnerable adults with learning difficulties will harm themselves or others”.
It also raised parking issues.
The author branded the situation “unbelievable” and alleged it would stain the area with “stigma”, before urging residents to “unite” and write to their councillors, MP and Halton Borough Council’s head of planning to voice any concerns over using a “luxury home” to accommodate people with “mental health” problems.
Its author claimed: "Beyond the stigma and the impact this will have on all of us, in relation to our property values and ability to sell our homes, this development if it is allowed to go ahead will set a precedent which will mean this private company or others like them can buy up every house on our development if they wish to and house potentially dangerous people."
The letter has provoked an online backlash.
Various social media users from the area blasted the letter as “offensive”, “absolutely disgusting“ and “ableist, bigoted, (and) discriminatory”.
Writing on an Upton Rocks neighbourhood Facebook page, one woman who said her son had autism branded the content “offensive” and said the author “needs far more education and empathy for a situation they clearly don’t understand”.
She said the letter left her “shaking” and “heartbroken”.
Another resident branded the letter “disgraceful”, while other comments included “it’s a disgusting letter isn’t it”, “I’m fuming”, “it is so offensive and fear mongering” and “heaven forbid adults with additional support needs should have a nice home”.
Some were more sympathetic to the letter in some limited respects, such as over a "lack of consultation" and in relation to parking.
There was some discussion about the home's planning status.
Under UK planning law, small shared homes for people receiving care fall under the same classification as dwellinghouses, implying no change of use or planning application is required.
According to its website, Bright Futures Care Ltd, the company behind the scheme and which told the ECHO it owns the property, provides "great quality community based care and education to children and adults with autism, complex needs, SEN (special educational needs) and learning disabilities in high quality locations.
Its boss told the ECHO he was “shocked” and “saddened” by the “extremely misleading” content, adding the firm was "not a 'mental health' provider".
Dan Jones, chief executive of Bright Futures Care Ltd, based in Lymm, said: “I am both shocked and saddened at the way the people that we provide support to have been portrayed and I am disappointed that anyone would seek to misrepresent our plans at Regency Park.
“The letter that is circulating is extremely misleading and misrepresents what we do and the people we support.
“We support people with learning disabilities and autism and are not a ‘mental health’ provider.
“Our plans are for three people with a learning disability - not five patients as described in the letter - to receive care and support in their own home, not live-in care, so that they can live their lives independently.
“The people we support are not ‘dangerous people’ and where the letter refers to a number of different social nuisance matters, violence and incidents necessitating police attendance, this paints an unfair, unjust and untrue picture of the work that we do and the people we support."
A Bright Futures spokeswoman said the scheme was for adults, and although the company owns the house, the intention is for clients to be treated as though they are living in their own home.
People to have lived in Regency Park include drugs boss Alan Tobin, 52, who was jailed for 20 years last year for supplying hundreds of kilos of cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis.
