1 week ago
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Reform councillors have said they will not close a group of care homes in Lancashire after months of public outcry.
Members of Lancashire county council, where the party won 52 of 84 seats in the May 2025 local elections, announced earlier this week that the homes earmarked for closure would instead receive investment. A protest in Preston on Saturday had attracted hundreds of people.
Favordale in Colne, Grove House in Adlington, Milbanke in Kirkham, Thornton House in Thornton-Cleveleys and Woodlands in Clayton-le-Moors had all been slated for closure. In November, families of residents at Woodlands told the Guardian they had been left astonished at the council’s decision to close a home that did so much for their loved ones. The son of one resident called the planned closure “cruel, especially from a party that claims to have respect for people who have contributed to society”.
Mark Clifford, the leader of council’s Labour group and the shadow cabinet member for adult social care, praised the work of those who fought against the council’s plans, saying that the decision was “embarrassing” for Reform but a win for the residents and their families.
“It’s a huge win because the public have voiced their thoughts and it has been a very, very embarrassing U-turn for Reform. We welcome this, but we certainly don’t welcome the way they’ve been acting and treating the public and residents of these facilities all throughout this consultation.”
Clifford also said Reform was trying to rewrite history by stating that they never intended to actually close the homes, a claim that Reform councillor Graham Dalton, the cabinet member for adult social care, had reiterated on BBC Radio Lancashire.
“There seems to have been a well-spun narrative that these care homes were supposed to be closing,” Dalton said on Tuesday. “You can look back through cabinet meetings, you can look back through our social media; there has been no talk of closing homes. There’s only ever been talk of a review.”
The council published plans to close the homes in the autumn, complete with a timetable for closures, before beginning the consultation process.
Cat Smith, the Labour MP Lancaster and Wyre, raised questions about where the new investment for the care homes would come from and what form it would take, describing the announcement as “chaotic”. She told Beyond Radio: “Reform need to provide some clarity as soon as possible on their announcement,” and said “this level of confusion and frustration for vulnerable older adults, their families, and staff is unacceptable”.
Despite the announcement from councillors, Reform said the decision had not yet officially been made and that the consultation to decide the fate of the care homes, as well as five day care centres in the area, would not conclude until March.
A council spokesperson said: “The council has not made any decision at this stage. Now that the consultation has closed, officers are analysing all the feedback and preparing a full report for cabinet in spring, where councillors will review the findings before making any formal decisions.”
