By Sarah Nicholls

Last updated at 12:32, Tuesday, 14 February 2012

Campaigners fighting the closure of Aspatria’s only care home are urging people to keep sending their concerns and alternative proposals to the county council despite the public consultation ending.

Iris Stobbart: ‘Aware there were problems with the consultation exercise from the outset’

People were invited to give their views by today on plans which included the closure of Park Lodge, Richmond Park care home in Workington and Woodlands in Distington.

The campaign group Park Lodge – The Future, which has criticised the consultation questionnaire for being biased and leading, is calling on the public not to be put off airing their views because the official consultation has ended.

Iris Stobbart, of the group, said: “The consultation is a legal requirement on the part of the council but people are not bound to put their views only via this consultation. We have known that there were fundamental problems with the consultation exercise from the outset but had received legal advice that we should not make any alternative proposals public until after it was completed.”

Bill Finlay, group member and Allerdale councillor, said: “The questionnaire itself is so biased as to be meaningless. It asks a series of questions that are so loaded that the overwhelming majority of respondents will be bound to answer in a particular way.

“The proposals that accompany the questionnaire are also prejudiced because they offer only one basic option, even though in reality there is a wide range of alternatives, as we know from researching what other counties similar to Cumbria offer residents.”

The council’s proposals also include upgrades of the dementia wings at Parkside in Maryport and Inglewood in Wigton, provision of an extra-care housing scheme in Workington and improvements to home care services.

Park Lodge – The Future is developing alternative proposals to present to the council before cabinet makes a final decision.

Their suggestions are based on the following principles and include: elderly people have the right to choose where they live and convenience to the county council is only one consideration; wherever they choose to live will be their home; necessary resources must be located as closely as possible to where they live; some elderly people will choose at some stage to live in a group environment but whatever their destination it will be no less their home than the dwelling that they previously occupied.

Iris added: “I would ask anyone in north Allerdale who agrees with these fundamental principles, rather than the biased and prejudiced position of the county council to write to the council and say so as soon as possible.”

First published at 11:27, Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk