Councillors have voted to close the remaining five council-run care homes in County Durham, claiming the town hall can no longer afford to run them.
The decision to close the homes will force around 40 elderly people to find alternative care and result in 172 staff losing their jobs.
Residents of Cheveley House in Belmont, Feryemount in Ferryhill, Grampian House in Peterlee, Mendip House in Chester-le-Street and Newtown House in Stanhope will all need to be relocated.
‘This was an extremely difficult decision for everyone,’ said councillor Lucy Hovvels. ‘I would like to assure people that we have considered all of the feedback we received and all of the options available to us.
‘There is no denying that people feel very strongly and we fully understand this. In coming to today’s decision, we have had to consider a wider range of factors in addition to the responses to the consultation.’
A dedicated group of social workers and senior operational staff will work with each resident and their family to draw up a dedicated plan for their relocation. This will be based on individual assessment of need involving the resident and their relatives.
