Two retirement villages to get £2m council support

Box Tree Court in Boston Spa offers independent living for those aged over 55

Two West Yorkshire retirement villages will continue to be council-funded at a cost of £2m for the next five years, it has been confirmed.

Box Tree Court in Boston Spa and Lady Ida Lodge in Cookridge, Leeds, offer a range of accommodation for elderly residents who are a mix of homeowners and those placed there by Leeds City Council.

The local authority said it had renewed its contract with Housing 21, which operated the sites, to ensure the homes could continue offering round-the-clock support to "help people live independently".

The contract is set to be renewed from November and will cost around £400,000 per year.

Some residents' care at the homes is funded by direct payments - cash payments from the council which give people control over how they are looked after.

Others are placed in the homes under a "nomination agreement" between the council and Housing 21, according to a council report.

Although the renewal of the contract has been agreed, it could still be subject to a "call-in", whereby councillors challenge a spending decision of more than £500,000, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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