Southampton City Council upholds decision to close last care home

Campaigners have previously protested against the closure of Southampton's last council-run care homes

A council has upheld its decision to close its last public sector care home despite protests from campaigners.

Southampton City Council previously reprieved Holcroft House in 2019 before deciding to close it again at a meeting in September 2023.

The authority said the home required fire safety work costing £4.5m.

However, protester Linda Hayes said relatives of the 13 remaining residents were "disgusted" at Thursday's decision by a scrutiny committee.

One of the home's last remaining residents, Betty Giles, has had a "new lease of life" there, her daughter said

She said: "The families were promised that their relatives would never move again.

"The private sector would be too expensive for them. Some of the families will be moved out of the area."

The authority said fire safety issues identified in 2021 would require work that would take more than 78 weeks to complete.

It said that would create "significant disruption" for residents and it would be "least impactful to them" to move to new permanent homes.

Campaigners said they were "disgusted" at the council's decision

Councillor Lorna Fielker, the Labour-run authority's deputy leader, said: "Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to find a way of keeping residents in Holcroft House during the required fire safety works without causing a significant risk to their health and well-being.

"It is therefore with a heavy heart that we have taken the decision to close the home."

Linda Oakley, whose mother Betty Giles is one of the home's last remaining residents, said it had given her a "new lease of life".

She said: "To honestly wrench her away from this would be so very sad and I think would cause her to give up up life."

In 2019, the council said it could save £1.3m by closing its last two care homes - Holcroft House and Glen Lee.

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