Pressure mounts on County Hall to find a way to save care homes under threat by Reform UK cuts
MPs continue to campaign against the closures of care facilities in Lancashire
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It is unusual for Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to involve himself directly in matters. The nature of his role demands neutrality and therefore it’s important for him that he doesn’t behave in a way that could undermine that.
All of which is to say; when he does get involved it’s because he feels like he has no other choice. And so it is with the potential closure of ten care facilities in Lancashire, a topic we have covered extensively in this newsletter.
He is joined by Labour MP Cat Smith, who last night presented her petition to parliament where residents attested to how much they valued the care at one of the facilities.
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Lancashire briefing
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📍 South Ribble Borough Council became the first local authority to formally back a plan to create four new councils to cover the whole of Lancashire. Cabinet members approved the proposal, which would see South Ribble merge with neighbouring Chorley and West Lancashire councils. The new standalone, or ‘unitary’, authority would be responsible for delivering all local services across the three southern Lancashire areas – to a population of just under 359,000 people. The blueprint would also lead to the creation of a new council to serve a combined Preston, Lancaster and Ribble Valley local authority patch, made up of almost 374,000 residents.
Pressure mounts on County Hall to find a way to save care homes under threat by Reform UK cuts
By Luke Beardsworth & Paul Faulkner
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has become the latest MP to involve themselves in Reform UK plans that could see care homes close.
And the Chorley MP said that he has spoken with the health and social care secretary Wes Streeting about the facility in his constituency - Grove House in Adlington - which is under threat.
Grove House is one of ten elderly care residences and day centres that Lancashire County Council is currently reviewing after they were deemed to be in “significantly poor condition”.
County Hall has stressed that no decisions have yet been taken about any of the local authority-run premises – and it is first carrying out a public consultation that it says will form a key part of the review process.
However, the potential “reprovision” of the services, agreed by the county council’s cabinet last month, has sparked concern that some or all of them could be closed. Opposition councillors believe that the presence of a timeline to move residents out of the facilities means that a decision has already been made.
Sir Lindsay said that he had brought the subject up with the Secretary of State in the context of seeking to “prevent any closure”.
Addressing the dozens of people who gathered at a rally on Saturday (15 November), outside Adlington Library, he said: “We aren’t going to let [Grove House] close.
“If it needs ensuites or… painting, whatever – let us invest, not close. We need to build for the future. The future doesn’t come by removing something, it comes by adding to it.”
The county council has commissioned fresh building condition surveys, which will also be factored into the decision-making process about each of the homes, along with five day centres which are also part of the review. The last time such assessments were carried out at the properties was in 2021 – and it is understood some of the facilities have received investment since then.
However, Phil Price, whose 93-year-old mother Sally is one of the residents who could be forced to move, says he can’t fathom why Grove House has been highlighted as one of the the homes causing concern.
He said: “I believe it was built in 1979 and it’s not exactly dropping to bits – if it was, I’d be the first to say it was no good. The staff are doing their best in trying circumstances – I’d be happy to go in there myself.
“And it’s not like she’s getting it for free because it’s a council-run home – they take £800 every four weeks from her pension and the other little bit of money she gets.”
Lindsay Hoyle is far from the first MP to become involved in the plans - which have sparked petitions in the areas that could lose facilities.
Cat Smith, Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre, met with residents at Vale View Day Centre on Thursday (13 November) to discuss how any potential closure might impact residents.
She was planning to present a petition in parliament on Tuesday evening (18 November) to highlight how well thought of the service at Vale View is.
She told The Lancashire Lead: “I was thrilled so many clients and their carers could make the public meeting I held in Lancaster to discuss Vale View and its future. It was deeply moving to hear about the positive experiences they had of the service and what it meant for them.
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