AT LAST! We have the new government guidelines for the improvement of all care homes for the elderly. It is stated that room sizes are important, also "individual space", which means a large home, such as the eight council homes we already have in Blackpool.

And we now also know that any alterations do not have to be done for seven years. It is obvious that the only reason these homes are being closed so quickly is a financial one, no matter what else is said. It is only money that Coun Bancroft is concerned about, and the quicker he can sell the homes, the quicker he gets the £1.3 million in the kitty. So it looks like he is prepared to go ahead and disrupt the lives of the elderly twice -- once to be moved into mainly smaller rooms in the private sector and then when their alterations are done, the old people will lose their homes again.

Also many of the private rest homes will be forced to close in a few years. As the cost of alterations to the new room sizes will be too great for many, plus they will not have the space to enlarge anything, and so instead of being "over bedded", Blackpool will then be "under bedded".

It seems far more human and sensible to leave the residents in their present council homes, until the private sector has sorted itself out and then move them just the once! So come on Mr Bancroft, show a little compassion here. Please do not make the old people suffer the terrible move twice.

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