Haringey Lib Dem Councillors have ‘called in’ the decision by Haringey Council’s Labour Executive to close two care homes. This means that they will be considered at a special meeting of Haringey Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The call-in was initiated by Lib Dem Social Services Spokesperson Cllr Ron Aitken and supported by four other Lib Dem Councillors including Lynne Featherstone, a member of the GLA’s Health Committee.

Lib Dem councillors, as well as many local campaigners and residents’ families have a number of concerns that they feel Haringey Council needs to address. They also say that Haringey has broken a promise that it would not embark on the closures:

• Only two of the five options for the future of the homes were considered and further work is to be done on only one option – closure of the two homes.
• The decision was taken by the Executive without reference to the Social Services and Health Scrutiny Panel, who would expect to be able to scrutinise the policy and financial implications of the strategy.
• Discussion of strategy for the care homes took place behind closed doors away from opposition members and the public at the council leader’s conference last month.
• The Council failed to highlight plans to close the two homes in its ‘Forward Plan’ document that is supposed to outline ‘Key Decisions’, such as large expenditures or policies that effect more than one borough, to be made over the following six months.
• Previous disposals of care homes by the Labour-run Council, most recently the Honeywood residential care home, were supposed to be ring-fenced to improve the remaining homes. However the Lib Dems say it is doubtful whether this money went back into the remaining homes.

Lib Dem Social Services spokesperson Cllr Ron Aitken has been working closely with care home residents and their families who feel that the Council has addressed none of their concerns. He says that it is essential that this important decision is properly scrutinised and discussed, with families concerns fully addressed.

Cllr Ron Aitken comments:

“I am pleased that our call-in has been accepted on a decision which the Council appears to have made against the wishes of residents and their families and with minimal consultation.

“The call-in will allow us to decipher whether this is another asset stripping sell-off exercise, and whether it is a properly thought out policy that will improve community care for people over the next 5 -10 years. I sadly fear the former is the case.”