WYRE Primary Care Trust (PCT) has given the county council's proposals to close down 35 out of 48 old people's homes its backing.

The decision was made during a public board meeting which took place in Poulton's Civic Centre on Tuesday and is a body-blow to a number of groups opposed to care home closures.

Chief executive of Wyre PCT Doug Soper explained what emerged at the meeting: "Wyre PCT fully understands the need to restructure social care for older people - particularly when it involves raising the standards of residential homes and encouraging older people to maintain their independence and remain within their own homes for as long as appropriate.

"We do believe this is the best option. However, if they are not going to be isolated, older people may need extra support and care to stay in their own homes, and much of that would have to be provided by the Wyre Primary Care Trust, for example community nursing, GP visits, domiciliary equipment and aids, rehabilitation services and the management of medicines.

"We therefore feel it would be good to have a full and comprehensive assessment of the impact of the proposed changes by the NHS, Social Services and all the other public and voluntary agencies involved, to ensure that we have the resources to serve older people and care for their needs to the best of our ability. We would also need continually to monitor any changes that are made, so that they can be altered and improved in the light of the feedback we receive, both from staff on the ground and from the local community."

This backing comes as a further disappointment to the many active campaigners against closure and in particular Pat Gordon, the leader of the Save Worsley House Campaign in Fleetwood, who has recently submitted a business strategy and personal profile of inmates at Worsley to County Counc Chris Cheetham.

She told the Citizen: "I met him in person at a special meeting we had planned and outlined a business plan that would enable us to keep the home open. He listened to what we had to say and I can only hope that it will make a difference."

One ray of hope did emerge this week in the battle to prevent closure in the form of a report that was commissioned by the County Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which advocates that there should be fewer closures across the county and that one of the Wyre and one of the Fylde homes that are currently facing closure should remain open.

A spokesperson for the Preston-based Internal Overview and Scrutiny Committee explained: "The committee referred to is conducting its own investigations and reports into the future of residential homes for the elderly as part of the whole consultation process.

"This doesn't mean that any decision has been reached yet but that they are producing their own recommendations to put forward on the consultation."