Almost 4,000 sign petition to save Wolverhampton care homes

Just under 4,000 people have signed a petition to stop the closure of two care homes in Wolverhampton.

The City of Wolverhampton Council is proposing to decommission and , two residential and short stay respite homes each with 4-6 permanent residents.

The council plans to transfer services to external providers and also close Woden Resource Centre, a rehabilitation centre for the elderly.

The proposals have sparked opposition from residents, their families, carers and staff with the trade union Unison succeeding in gathering thousands of signatures in a petition against the council's plans.

"We have been talking to families of residents and they are very worried and anxious. It is having a detrimental effect on residents," said Sue Brealey, chair of Unison's Wolverhampton branch which has 100 members at the two sites.

She added: "So far we have had several meetings but no one has given us an exact answer to who will provide these services."

The council says it has put forward plans will help older people in the city remain independent for longer.

Councillor Elias Mattu, the council's cabinet member for adult services, said: "The proposals relating to Nelson Mandela House, Merry Hill House and Woden Resource Centre are part of a wider package of measures which will enable us to increase the amount of support we offer to older people in their own homes, including additional reablement and greater use of Telecare assistive technology, such as personal alarms and monitoring equipment."

The public is being urged by the council to attend events set up as part of its public consultation on 6 October, 13 October and 20 October. The consultation runs until 26 October.