COUNCIL-RUN care homes that are struggling financially will not close, a senior politician has vowed.


Concerns have been raised at Hampshire County Council about the long-term future of the social care budget, with current projections forecasting a £14m budget deficit by 2023/24.
With the social care levy not due to take effect until April 2023, there are some in the county council who fear for the future of care homes that are no longer financially viable.
Earlier this year, Cranleigh Paddock in Lyndhurst was ‘temporarily closed’ by the council, with occupants moving to alternative nearby housing options.
But executive member for adult services and public health, Cllr Liz Fairhurst, has vowed that no care home in Hampshire will be closed down.
She said: “Can I make one thing absolutely clear – we are not in the care home business to make money. We run care homes to care for people and that will always be the bottom line.
“Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, people have been reluctant to put their loved ones into care homes, and so we made the decision to consolidate two homes in our area.
“We plan for all temporarily closed homes to reopen in the near future.”
Cranleigh Paddock was reportedly at 50 per cent capacity at the time it was closed.
Following the closure, nearby Forest Court in Totton reached a capacity of 90 per cent.
But opposing Liberal Democrat spokesman for health and social care, Cllr David Harrison, fears the long-term impact could be far worse due to rising costs, less government funding and climbing inflation rates.
He said: “We’ve already seen that the County Council is willing to close care homes, even if it is a temporary measure.”