PRIVATE nursing homes are threatening to turn away cases referred to them by Lancashire County Council unless they receive an extra £75 a week for each person from the authority.

The Coalition for Care, led by Lancashire Care Association chairman Frank Hessey, claims the £270 a week the council pays homes to look after elderly people does not even cover a basic bed and breakfast in most parts of the country.

The organisation has been set up to respond to proposals to shake up OAP care.

But Lancashire County Council reacted angrily to the ultimatum, it would take an extra £25million a year to fund the demands. However, if the threat is followed through -- as it has been elsewhere in the country -- it could wreck the county council's shake-up of its own elderly care which includes plans to close 35 care homes.

Next month, councillors will decide how many of its own homes it will close.

But without the support of the private homes, which the county ultimately plans to dump as more people are cared for at home, hopes of closing the homes early, and saving the £14million needed to refurbish and repair them, will be scuppered.

Mr Hessey said: "Lancashire Social Services spends £270 a week at most buying private care home beds. That's what they think of old people. Home owners end up paying the shortfall, and they have to meet new standards as well and that costs money.

"Unless the extra money comes forward, we won't accept new referrals after December 1.

"The county has made it clear that it plans to reduce the number of referrals in the future to the point where each home would get only one referral a year, but they want to use us in the short term to let them close their homes.

Coun Chris Cheetham, in charge of social services at the county council, today accused Mr Hessey of using old folk as a bargaining tool.

He said: "Their plan does not recognise that in Lancashire, unlike other parts of the North West, there are hundreds of empty beds.

"In addition this does not recognise that the county council is committed to improving quality of care and pays homes that can demonstrate a higher standard an additional payment."

According to County Hall chiefs, 6,500 OAPs will be supported in private care, and an extra £25million would be needed to fund the extra £75 a week for each person.

To keep all the 48 OAP homes owned by the county open would cost only £14million.

Coun Cheetham added: "Although I have some sympathy with the problems facing the private care home sector and have in the past supported calls for better funding for Social Services to spend on care for older people, Mr Hessey is going too far with his latest proposal.

"I strongly object to his suggestion that frail, vulnerable old people in need of residential care should be used as a bargaining tool with local authorities and the Government."