£84m care scheme for elderly gets go-ahead

The Treasury has approved the building of three purpose-built facilities, incorporating specialist centres for dementia, in Hawthorn Avenue, west Hull; Hall Road, north Hull, and Leads Road, east Hull.

In all there will be 215 two-bedroomed apartments for Hull’s more vulnerable residents, including people with physical and mental disabilities, with facilities that include 24-hour care and support services.

The scheme is being built using the discredited Private Finance Initiative, which uses public money to pay private firms to build and run public buildings.

Earlier this year a Treasury select committee concluded PFI deals offer “poor value for money” and can typically cost up to 40 per cent more than if they been funded with normal public borrowing. In this case it will be paid back over 25 years.

Coun Rilba Jones admitted she and fellow Labour councillors weren’t “keen” on PFI, but added: “At the end of the day we need that sort of care provision.”

Coun Jones, who holds the health portfolio at the council, said: “These apartments will become their home – couples will be able to stay together, or a carer may move in with a person who has dementia. The design will be very carefully done and there will be input from the University of Stirling to design it in a way to assist people with memory problems and obviously it will be suitable for wheelchairs.

“If one person has serious memory impairment at least they may remain together and it will help the quality of both in their different ways.”

Hull Council now has to procure a contractor through a competitive bidding process which will take around two years. Building is expected to start in early 2014.

A Bidders Day will be organised early in the New Year.