Three Leeds care homes will close

Middlecross care home, in Armley, Siegen Manor, in Morley, and The Green, in Seacroft, and their associated day centres will now all be shut down shut down following months of consultation.

Members of Leeds City Council’s decision making executive board also approved proposals for the “remodelling” of Wykebeck Valley day centre to become a complex needs facility for east Leeds through a £111,000 investment.

The plans will see the Siegen Manor site earmarked for an extra care housing development and The Green retained as a “community asset” that could potentially host intermediate care or recovery beds for the NHS in Leeds.

The three homes to be closed will be shut down between November this year and next July.

Initial plans to close the facilities were announced in September last year, prompting a strong response from Leeds communities.

Leeds Liberal Democrat Stuart Golton told the meeting he did not support the closure plans.

Coun Golton said: “It mentions a consultation here, but what it doesn’t mention in this paper is what that consultation result was.

“In most of these facilities it was 92 per cent and above opposed to the closures.”

Coun Rebecca Charlwood, Leeds City Council’s executive member for health, wellbeing and adults, said after the meeting: “We absolutely recognise that people did not want change in their care circumstances but the role of executive board has been to balance those needs with the resources available.

“Those resources have been dramatically reduced with the authority losing over £200m over the past six years due to continuing government cuts.

“These cuts have a very real impact on people’s lives and we have been doing all we can to mitigate that impact and these recommendations contain what we believe will be improvements to the services people across Leeds receive.

“People’s views have very much impacted on the recommendations, which is why we’ve made some changes to the original recommendations.

“Every person involved is guaranteed the same level of care and in a setting that is equal to or better than what they are currently receiving.

“They will have one-to-one staff support in the transition to help them through that.”

The closures follow the recent council decision to shut down Manorfield House residential home in Horsforth.