The city council was 'naive' to think people would be happy about plans to close a day centre, a social care chief has claimed.

The Fairway day centre in Kings Norton was earmarked to be shut down in 2016 as part of Birmingham City Council's budget cuts yet it still remains open today having had the axe looming over it for more than two years.

The process has since been heavily criticised with Cllr Rob Pocock, chairman of the Health and Social Care overview and scrutiny committee, admitting the authority simply 'got it wrong'.

Fairway Centre protest outside Birmingham Council House in 2017.

Addressing the committee Melanie Brooks, assistant director of health and social care, said: "There was a huge delay in the process between the budget being set for the service and then how we are going to operate within it and the implications that would have on people."

After stating changes in senior management had contributed to the situation she added: "This led to stakeholders feeling quite disillusioned, frustrated and out of the loop.

"I believe a stakeholder analysis was almost quite naive.

"There was a view that they would be happy to move to an alternate day centre.

"It didn't really take into account what their aspirations and their goals and desires may be. We can learn from that.

"There was a lack of genuine co-production. We worked in a very traditional consultation approach, which is basically our legal requirement which is to recommend a decision, consult on a decision then act on it."

A report stated 51 people, suffering from physical and or learning disabilities, are still attending the Fairway and while many had chosen alternative services more than half of them (27) were still undecided.

Despite the review of the process the council's cabinet is expected to confirm the centre's closure later this month.

Cllr Pocock (Lab, Sutton Vesey) added: "The council got it wrong. This committee has said that before, because of the way the decision was handled.

"We have identified what went wrong and taken steps. I like the idea that we want to do more with people rather than too the people.

"The approach before was probably legal but it was not the desirable way."