Bodlondeb: 'No long-term plan' for Ceredigion care, unions say

Bodlondeb staff said they found out about the proposed closure via social media

A council's proposal to shut a Ceredigion care home comes with "no plan" for care provision in the area, unions have said.

The council is consulting on shutting Bodlondeb in Penparcau, Aberystwyth, with the loss of 33 jobs.

A report said residents would have to move to other homes - potentially long distances away.

The council previously said the building would need significant investment to continue operating.

It added it appreciated Bodlondeb was "very important to the people of Aberystwyth and beyond and this is a very sensitive matter for all involved".

GMB and Unison, which represent staff at Bodlondeb, said the closure came with "no plan for improving or securing the long term provision of care for the elderly within our community".

A consultation is due to run until 25 September and a public meeting is being held on 17 July at Llwyn yr Eos primary school from 19:00 BST.

Unison branch secretary Owain Davies said: "It is simply the closure of a well-loved and valued home, in order to help balance a budget that has been cut to the bone - and now into the bone.

"At a time when everyone is acknowledging that demands on social care for the elderly are rising, it is absurd for Ceredigion Council to be proposing the closure of its sole remaining residential home in its most populated town, especially as the closure comes with no plans or details as to how the increasing demands are going to be met with less capacity and less facilities."

Unison added it recognised the financial difficulties facing the council, but said this proposal was "an inappropriate and inadequate response".

Althea Phillips, regional organiser for the GMB, said: "All of the staff at the home are dedicated and hard-working and it is their efforts over the years that has kept Bodlondeb in high regard in the community, they deserve to be treated better than this."

A report to the council said the Bodlondeb home has been operating at a loss of nearly £400,000 per year - more than £7,600 per week.

The council said there were empty spaces in care homes across the county which reflects the "changing nature of care requirements".

A spokeswoman added the council had been meeting regularly with union representatives and Bodlondeb staff.