Council care home officers get to grips with opinions

All the information gathered in public consultations is now being collated so that a report can be prepared for Leeds Council’s executive board next month, when a decision will be made about the futures of the premises.

Officials have received considerable correspondence from carers, elected members, city residents and organisations – not least because fears had been raised that decisions had already been made about the future of the homes.

Senior council officials felt it necessary to deny publicly that this had happened.

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, the council’s executive board member with responsibility for adult health and social care said: “I would like to thank our customers and their families for taking the time to talk to us about these proposals, and help us to shape how services will look in the future.

“This has been a difficult time for the people involved, but I want to assure them that getting their views has been a really important part of the process and these will be used to inform the recommendations that we will be presenting to executive board in September.

“The general public have also shown considerable support for the services we provide for older people, which is testament to our wonderful staff who have played a vital role in this process.”

Officials say that because of the huge financial challenges that the council currently faces, they have had to look closely at the cost of all services to try to find alternative approaches while trying to make sure support remains available when it is needed most.

The homes identified for possible closure are Grange Court in Garforth, Kirkland House in Yeadon, Dolphin Manor in Rothwell, Knowle Manor in Morley, Westholme Residential Home in Wortley and Spring Gardens in Otley.

The day centres at risk are Firthfields in Garforth, Lincolnfields in Burmantofts and Rose Farm in Rothwell.

Leeds council chiefs say demand for places in the homes – many of which need modernisation – is decreasing, as is attendance at day centres.

They have also stressed that no decisions will be taken before next month.