Plans to close three respite centres for adults with disabilities have been suspended – pending further scrutiny.

Currently, Hertfordshire has a network of eight short break centres – where adults with physical and learning disabilities can stay overnight.

But on February 24, a meeting of the county council’s cabinet decided that three of those centres –Tewin Road, in Hemel Hemstead, Hixberry Lane, in St Albans, and Apton Road, in Bishop’s Stortford – should close.

Cabinet members heard that the existing service was underused – with data suggesting that the average occupancy at some of the centres is as low as 44 per cent.

And they were told that closing the three centres would save the council £970,000 a year.

The decision came just weeks after parents and carers presented councillors with a 1,500 signature petition, calling for the plans to be halted and for the county council to work with them on an alternative.

Now the decision made by the Conservative controlled council has been challenged by a group of Liberal Democrat councillors, who have formally asked for the decision to be ‘called in’.

That means the decision will be formally considered by a special meeting of the county council’s overview and scrutiny committee.

In calling for the decision to be ‘called-in’, the group of Liberal Democrat councillors suggest the decision has been made on “a false premise”.

And they say the council’s statistics fail to show there is over provision of beds or that there is a downward trend in usage.

As a result of the call-in, the closure decision will be considered by a meeting of the overview and scrutiny committee on March 11, which will be open to the public.

At that meeting the committee could decide they have no objections to the decision, to refer the decision back to the executive or officers for re-consideration or to refer it to a meeting of the full council.

Meanwhile, commenting on the closure decision, a spokesperson for the county council said: “As a local authority we have a responsibility to make the most effective use of funds available to us and to ensure that a range of options are available to everyone using the service.

“These proposed changes remove the spare capacity in our centres without reducing the amount of overnight respite care provision currently available to families across Hertfordshire.

“This means that the amount of short break service available to users will remain the same.”