SOLICITORS taking legal action against Derby City Council's

decision to close a care home said they would not pursue the

case if the home was kept open for at least 18 months.

The decision to close Bramblebrook House in Mickleover was

taken when the previous Labour administration was in place.

The closure was being fought by residents in the home

through Smith Partnership solicitors. A judicial review was due

to be heard this year, which would mean a High Court judge

would rule whether the council had made the right decision to

close the home.

But last month, the new cabinet member for adult services

and health, Liberal Democrat Ruth Skelton, announced she would

propose to the council's cabinet that the home should be kept

open for at least 18 months.

She said that would allow the council to carry out a review

of all care provision in the city before it made a final on

decision on which home, if any, should be closed.

Simon Richardson, of Smith Partnership, said if the cabinet

agreed to her proposal when it meets on Tuesday he would not

continue the legal action.

“However, there are side issues I want looking at, such as

exploring the use of Bramblebrook for other specialist care,”

he said.

“Also, if the decision is taken at the end of this review to

close Bramblebrook, then it will be up to the residents if they

want to challenge that decision with a separate action.”

The number of permanent residents at Bramblebrook when its

closure was announced was 38. That has now gone down to 20 due

to deaths and some residents accepting places at other

homes.

The former cabinet member for adult services, Labour

councillor Fareed Hussain, said the cabinet should take into

consideration whether keeping the home open made financial

sense with the number of residents declining.

He said: “I know when I was the cabinet member the cost of

running the home each year was more than £700,000.

“With just 20 residents, that means the cost per person

there is high and if that number reduces further, then that

cost will be even higher.”

Michael Foote, corporate director of adult services, said

that if the number of residents at Bramblebrook went down

considerably during the next six months then the council may

have to look at the situation again.

“We will look at the situation at the end of the review but

it is unlikely there will be so few residents there,” he

said.

Under the proposals, residents who have moved to other homes

because they believed Bramblebrook was going to close this year

will be able to move back, as long as they accept that their

return may not be permanent as the review could still conclude

the home should close.

The money from the sale of Bramblebrook, in Rough Heanor

Road, would have gone to make the Arthur Neal site in Mackworth

an extra care complex.

If the Mackworth site becomes an extra care home, residents

would be able to live in individual flats while also having

24-hour specialist care staff on hand.

The cabinet will have to consider on Tuesday whether to

carry on with work to develop the Arthur Neal site while the

review is carried out.