Lancashire’s Reform-run council plans to close care homes and day centres

3 hours ago7 min read1 comments

In a move that has ignited fierce controversy and raised troubling questions about the intersection of public service and private enterprise, Lancashire’s Reform-run council is pushing forward with a contentious plan to close five council-run care homes and five day centres, a strategy purportedly designed to save £4 million annually by shifting vulnerable residents into the private sector. This decision, denounced by critics as a cynical 'selling off the family silver,' strikes at the very heart of the social contract, forcing a community to confront the human cost of austerity.The situation is further complicated by a glaring potential conflict of interest: the council’s own cabinet member for social care holds ownership of a private care company, a fact that casts a long shadow over the impartiality of the procurement process and raises legitimate concerns about whether the needs of the council’s balance sheet are being prioritized over the welfare of its most fragile citizens. The raw, human anguish behind this bureaucratic maneuver was poignantly articulated by a 92-year-old resident of one of the threatened homes, who defiantly declared she would only leave 'being forcibly removed or in a box'—a statement that serves as a powerful indictment of a policy that treats elderly individuals not as people with deep-rooted connections to their homes and caregivers, but as line items on a spreadsheet.This is not merely a local budget dispute; it is a microcosm of a broader, deeply ideological struggle over the role of local government and the value we place on communal care. Historically, the provision of council-run care homes was a cornerstone of the post-war welfare state, a tangible promise that society would protect its elderly from the vicissitudes of the market.The systematic erosion of this system, accelerated by over a decade of central government funding cuts to local authorities, has created a landscape where such drastic measures are increasingly presented as the only viable option, a manufactured inevitability that absolves policymakers of the responsibility to seek more compassionate alternatives. Expert commentators from the Health Services Management Centre have repeatedly warned that the fragmentation of social care into a profit-driven private market often leads to a 'race to the bottom' in terms of staff wages, training, and quality of care, ultimately costing the public purse more through increased hospital admissions when inadequate community support fails.The potential consequences of Lancashire’s plan are far-reaching: the displacement of elderly residents can lead to a profound psychological phenomenon known as 'transfer trauma,' linked to increased mortality rates, while the closure of day centres dismantles vital community hubs that provide respite for unpaid family carers, a silent army whose own health and well-being are now placed under greater strain. From a feminist policy perspective, this issue is particularly acute, as the burden of care—both paid and unpaid—disproportionately falls on women, meaning these cuts will have a gendered impact, deepening existing inequalities.The council’s defence likely hinges on the language of fiscal responsibility and 'modernisation,' but this narrative is critically undermined by the opaque circumstances surrounding the cabinet member’s dual roles. For true accountability and transparency, a full, independent audit of the decision-making process is not just advisable but essential to determine whether this is a genuine, if painful, attempt to steward public funds or a politically-motivated transfer of public assets into private hands, setting a dangerous precedent for the future of social care across the United Kingdom.

#featured

#Lancashire council

#care home closures

#Reform party

#conflict of interest

#social care cuts

#privatization

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