SOUTH Ribble Borough Council has produced a report criticising the county council's proposal to close 35 care homes.

The 22-page report has yet to be debated and announced officially, but council chiefs have said it raises concerns over the stress the proposals could cause to elderly residents.

The report has been put together by the council's scrutiny committees.

Councillor Gareth Armstrong, chairman of the community interests scrutiny committee, said: "A main part of the committee's role is to look at the effectiveness of external organisations that have an impact on residents of the borough.

"This report is the culmination of a fair amount of effort into the impact of the county council's proposals on South Ribble."

After the county council announced its proposals to change the way care is provided for the elderly in Lancashire -- by closing 35 of Lancashire's 48 homes -- members of the public began contacting South Ribble Borough Council to complain.

As a result, the council cabinet ordered a review of the plans. A number of officials were interviewed, including the Lancashire Care Association, and Age Concern.

The critical report is the result of that review. It makes a number of hard-hitting suggestions, and concludes that the county council needs to do a lot more work before making a final a decision.

The report says that:

Any disruption of residents should be kept to a minimum, and no residents should be moved during the winter months.

One 'not-for-profit home' is not enough to replace the homes that could be closed, and ideally there should be three.

The county council needs to carry out more research to find what the future demand for care will be in South Ribble.

More work should be done to establish who would provide the 'very sheltered housing' the proposals say should replace care homes.

Coun Armstrong added: "The report will have significant value for the county council and its partners in taking forward the future of residential and daycare services."