Kirklees: Group starts legal challenge to care homes closure plan

Two council-run dementia care homes could shut under Kirklees Council proposals

Campaigners say they have started legal action in a bid to prevent a West Yorkshire council closing two dementia residential care homes.

Kirklees Council is consulting on plans to shut Castle Grange in Newsome and Claremont House in Heckmondwike as part of its need to make £47m of savings.

A campaign group said the consultation was "potentially flawed" and a legal firm was now representing them.

The council said it was "committed to supporting people with dementia".

Families of those living in the care homes previously told the BBC about the "trauma" a forced move would cause.

"Please consider these people not as numbers, not as balancing the books, but as real people that are extremely vulnerable," one said.

Legal firm Irwin Mitchell, representing the Save our Kirklees Dementia Care Homes group, has issued a letter of warning to the local authority advising the council to stop the planned closures.

The firm had found "at least nine deficiencies" in the closure proposal, the group added.

It said relatives had not been "properly advised of alternative care options for their loved ones", with "insufficient detail" about vacancy levels in private alternative accommodation and the potential costs of private care.

The home in Heckmondwike is under threat along with Castle Grange in Huddersfield

The consultation into the planned closures is due to end on 3 January.

A campaign group spokesperson said: "This proposal is ill thought through and does not add up - whilst it seems to be about saving money, their figures suggest to us it will actually cost them and us more to close these homes.

"They must halt this closure plan, go back to the drawing board, talk to us, their staff and other key stakeholders and come up with a better alternative."

Councillor Jackie Ramsay, the Labour-run council's cabinet member for health and social care, said: "We will work with all parties to make sure our care home residents receive the care they need.

"The council is committed to supporting people living with dementia where there are not many alternative providers of care and has recently invested £8m in a new dementia day service."

Kirklees Council previously warned of cuts to services as it needed to make savings of more than £47m in next year's budget.

On Thursday, the council announced two leisure centres which were threatened with closure as part of cost-cutting measures, are now set to stay open following a public consultation.