Flashback: County Councillor Questions Move To Close Care Homes

Published on: 10 Mar, 2025
Updated on: 3 Mar, 2025

Flashback looks at Dragon NEWS stories of a decade ago.

Ten years ago a Lib Dem county councillor was questioning the closure of care homes.

First published on The Guildford Dragon NEWS on March 9, 2015.

Surrey County councillor for Guildford West, Fiona White (Lib Dem), is questioning the authority’s moves to close residential care homes it owns.

County councillor Fiona White.

Mrs White is the adult social care spokesperson on Surrey County Council and says that one privately owned residential care home in Surrey has recently been closed by Care Quality Commission, meaning that older people had to be moved at short notice.

She adds that another home close to Surrey’s borders which the council has used for care packages was also closed down, and that a check of Care Quality Commission’s website shows that there are five privately owned homes within 13 miles of Guildford where they have been found to be inadequate in one or more categories.

She said: “Is this really the right time for Surrey’s Conservative leadership to close the residential care homes it owns? Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council think it is not. The reason for the county wanting to get rid of the homes is not because of poor levels of care, but because the council has failed to look after its property. They have piled up large sums of money in the bank while the buildings have been left to become outdated.

She will be asking this question to at a Surrey’s Conservative cabinet meeting on Tuesday, March 10.

She added: “With the difficulties some care homes have got into and the Care Act just coming into force in 2015/16 and all its implications, Surrey needs to keep all its options open. That includes making sure that the council can provide a good level of care for everyone who can no longer live independently in their own homes. This is a time to invest in updating the property to make sure they never let down Surrey residents.

“Whenever I have visited Surrey-owned residential care homes, the residents have said they are very happy with the care they receive. The people working there have a high level of commitment to their work and the people they look after. The Conservative-run county council are letting down both those residents and care workers.”