Pensioners lose battle to save West Lothian retirement home community cafe from closure

Pensioners have lost their battle to save a West Lothian community café in their retirement home from closure.

An 11th-hour rescue plan, which would have kept just one paid member of staff at the Rosemount Gardens café, was rejected by the Integration Joint Board which oversees social care.

Bathgate’s SNP councillors who had backed the campaign slated the decision, with one saying the Board had “questionable accountability”.

Jackie Davidson, who had led the Rosemount café campaign from the outset, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that she was “devastated” at the decision taken by councillors and voting members of the IJB on Wednesday afternoon.

A decision was taken at the start of the year to close the café, moving staff to other council catering jobs. This would add £136,000 to budget savings the Board needed to make.

The closure was first stalled to seek interested parties to take on the café which serves the Bathgate retirement complex. In June the IJB agreed to a further delay calling for new impact reports to be compiled.

Over the summer, an alternative business plan was drawn up by Jamie Seery, charity manager at West Lothian 50+ Network, with support from the Save Rosemount Gardens Café Action Group and advised by Martin Thompson and David Barclay, business advisers with the council’s Business Gateway.

The presentation stated: “The proposal sets out a realistic, cost-controlled plan to keep Rosemount Gardens Café open from August 2025 to July 2026, saving West Lothian Council nearly £100,000 while protecting a vital social lifeline for older and disabled residents.

“We propose a Council-led hybrid model that:

Cuts staffing costs by over 60% (from £136,900 to £56,000)
Aligns pricing with local community café benchmarks (e.g. Craigsfarm)
Generates a strong gross surplus of £49,000 before staff costs
Brings the service close to break even with a projected £6,944 deficit
Builds towards a full community-led takeover by August 2026.

The papers added: “It buys time, avoids reputational damage, and delivers a better outcome for residents and the wider public. This approach also aligns with the IJB’s stated priorities of prevention, community empowerment and reducing longer-term care costs.”

Responding to the proposals Robin Allen the manager for Older People’s Services told the Board on Wednesday: “The proposed model does not achieve a cost neutral position with a projected recurring annual loss of £14,500.”

He added that there were “a range of risks and assumptions” around expected income and the potential need for staff to cover for holidays as well as a reliance on volunteers.

Labour councillors Andrew McGuire and Tony Boyle expressed reluctance at accepting the manager’s report, and disappointment that plans could not “make it over the line” to save money. Councillor Boyle asked if the equipment could be preserved for others to make use of.

Chair of the IJB, Councillor Tom Conn said that was not something the IJB could ask for. Supporting the closure proposal, he added: “I find myself reluctantly making a decision.”

“I think the building does have a future and hopefully local organisations can adapt and use it in a way which actually continues to meet the requirements of the local community.”

Councillor Willie Boyle told the LDRS: “[This is] a decision that has been taken with questionable accountability and that will require further scrutiny to satisfy many in the local community.”

Fellow Bathgate SNP councillor Pauline Stafford, the opposition group’s depute leader said: “This decision is short-sighted and will cost our communities dearly in the long run, materially diminishing the quality of life for many of our most vulnerable citizens.”

She added: “I am deeply disappointed with the IJB’s decision to close Rosemount café. The impact of its closure will have a negative impact across the community.

“The approach taken by the IJB goes against their own objectives including the development of preventative approaches to improve health and well-being and supporting older people to live independently in the community.”

Councillor Stafford continued: “Rosemount café is a vital social hub at the heart of our community. With an ageing population and a rise in people suffering social isolation and loneliness we desperately need more facilities like Rosemount, not fewer.

“The campaigners brought forward proposals which would have achieved the majority of the savings needed whilst allowing the café time to move to a sustainable business model.”