MEMBERS of Pendle Council are due to hear an emergency motion about the closure of care homes in the borough during a meeting tonight.

The motion will be brought before full council after the authority's Care Homes Working Group met to discuss Lancashire County Council's consultation document on Monday.

Councillor Azhar Ali was elected as the chairman of the working group following a lively discussion in which all councillors were in agreement that the consultation had been launched without discussions with potential partners.

The emergency motion states that Pendle Council is well aware that the county council has certain problems with this issue, although they are not clearly spelled out in the document. Pendle Council is also aware that the county council has over the years set standards to which others can aspire.

Coun Frank Clifford will move that:

Pendle Borough Council require that the consultation document and therefore the threat of closure be withdrawn immediately. Furthermore Pendle Borough Council asks that Lancashire County Council opens up immediate dialogue with Pendle Council and all interested parties such as the Primary Care Trust, housing associations, the Hospital Trust etc, to solve the county council's problems on this issue thereby ensuring that the homes are kept open.

In addition Pendle Council wants admissions to homes are maintained and that the maximum level of occupancy is achieved.

The resolution will be jointly seconded by Coun Jo Belbin and Coun Tony Beckett.

Coun Clifford said: "The government is quite right to want to look at and require county councils, councils and the private sector to improve the quality of care of the elderly people, ensuring that quality is very high indeed as it should be, but they should do it in a considered and measured way."

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