There was an impassioned plea for Croydon Council to rethink plans to close a garden centre which supports people with autism and disabilities.

The authority is considering closing the Cherry Orchard Garden Centre, St Jame’s Road,  in a bid to save £180,000 a year.

More than 2,000 people have already signed a petition calling for the centre to stay open, and while the council said the situation is not yet a done deal, it said tough decisions had to be made.

The petition was started by Charles Barber who told a Croydon Council meeting about ‘Darren’, one of the volunteers who is “devastated” by the news.

On Wednesday night, (February 1) he said: “Darren’s whole sense of identity is tied up in the garden centre.

"He has worked at his local garden centre for 31 years without any form of payment and [he has been] told he is no longer needed and no longer wanted, he has far less options to fall back on.

“I really believe if the council had put the same amount of effort into exploring how the garden centre could remain open rather than closing it we could have a garden centre that not only serves local gardeners but is a green social hub where people can meet and connect.”

However, cabinet member for finance, Councillor Jason Cummings, said that closing the garden centre would be a “blow”, the council has to save money to fix its financial situation.

He said: “The centre costs £180,000 a year to run, this may seem a small sum and indeed in many ways it is, but is it just one in a long list of savings and efficiencies in clearing up Labour’s mess. 

"The sad reality is that the path back to financial stability will include decisions of this nature, each of which will impact on the residents of Croydon.

“This is a difficult proposal to put forward but one that forms part of the necessary process of reducing this council’s expenditure in dealing with the mess that was left to us.

"It will result in the loss of a valued service for the volunteers but it will not be the last such action that has to be taken.”

Councillor Mohammad Islam said the Labour group backs the petition and said the service is used by members of his own family.

He said: “We cannot place price over value, we must listen to and serve the vulnerable residents. Croydon Labour supports this petition and requests that these proposals are withdrawn.”

Councillor Yvette Hopley responded saying the council is in a “dire financial situation” and that those impacted would be supported through one-to-one meetings to look for “similar opportunities in the community”.

Mr Barber asked Mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry, whether he would consider delaying the closure of the centre for three months to explore other options.

He said the money saved would be a “drop in the ocean” of the council’s financial crisis.

Mayor Perry said a final decision on the garden centre has not yet been made.

He added: “We still have huge problems and debts it is really sad to me that we have to look at such decisions but we have to make tough decisions and ensure that we get Croydon back in balance.”