Helen Ley support group says charity must be more open

The centre in Blackdown, which provides respite care for people with multiple sclerosis, may have to close within a matter of months unless a new owner is found.

A deal between the MS Society, which currently runs the site, and MS Respite and Care Services to take over, collapsed at the end of last month, due to what the MS Society said was a “mutual agreement” concerned with Charity Commission regulations.

But in a statement sent to the Courier, members of the Save Helen Ley Action Group said: “But for concerns raised within the centre about whether the negotiations were still alive, it is likely we would still be in the dark and the MS Society would not have announced anything at all.

“These situations are never black or white but we are inclined to believe that the breakdown is more likely to be due to the MS Society.

“It has not always been totally open and truthful in the past.”

A spokeswoman for the MS Society said: “Charity Commission regulations require charities to ensure they achieve best value when selling any assets

“Our independent advisers assessed that the terms proposed by MS Respite and Care Services would not meet these regulations.

“The negotiations were terminated by mutual consent, as MS Respite and Care Services have themselves confirmed.”

She said the charity had begun discussions with a new potential provider, but was unable to reveal this party’s identity at this stage.

She added: “We have endeavoured throughout to keep guests, residents and staff updated, always aiming to visit the centres with news of any significant developments, and we will continue to do so.”