Council to assess care homes impact

A WORKING party is being set up by Stratford District Council to investigate the issue of care and residential homes in the district.

The decision to look into this hugely topical subject was taken by members of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee at its meeting last week.

At a meeting of the full council on 24th October, Cllr Jenny Fradgley (Lib Dem, Guildhall) voiced concerns about the effect of the increasing number of such homes on medical and other services, as well as the availability of housing for poorly paid staff.

She said that currently there were proposals for a further five care and residential homes in the town of Stratford alone.

A 56-bed care complex for over 70s was recently approved on land next to the Rosebird Centre in Shipston Road in Stratford, with plans already submitted for another of 75 bedrooms on land next door to that.

Meanwhile, figures published by the Warwickshire Observatory — a department of the county council — show that the number of people in the county aged 90 and older will have increased by a massive 321 per cent in the 25 years from 2012 to 2037.

In 2012 there were 1,400 people aged 90 and over and in 2037 it is forecast that there will be 5,900.