THE future of one of Bradford Council's six remaining care homes for the elderly will be decided in the next financial year as it continues to move away from directly providing day care.

Bradford Council's "Great Places to Grow Old" programme has seen four of its care homes shut since 2008, as the focus is instead put on services to allow people with conditions such as dementia to live more independent lives, in their own homes if possible.

Although the Council has not yet identified which of the six homes it will be consulting about, an announcement will be made in 2015/16.

A report going to its health and social care scrutiny committee on Thursday says: "The Council will be identifying and seeking to go out to consult on the future of a further home, home B in 2015/16."

Home A was Harbourne Care Home in Wibsey. A public consultation about its future started last September and despite a campaign by relatives of its residents and users to keep it open, it was shut in January.

Council bosses said the building was outdated and had a £222,000 maintenance backlog.

The building was sold at auction last week for £312,000.

A little more than ten per cent of the district's 1,861 extra care beds are now provided by the Council's in-house service.

Although some homes, like Harbourne, have been shut, a number of "extra care" housing developments have been or will soon be built to deal by various organisations to help deal with Bradford's rising elderly population.

Elm Tree Court in Thackley, a 51 unit care facility, run by Housing 21 will open later this month.

New extra care flats and a 20 bed care centre will be built on the site of the former Neville Grange care home in Saltaire, and a Council bid for funding to build 45 extra care flats on the site of the former Bronte School in Keighley has now been approved by the Homes and Community Agency.

The three schemes will create 141 extra care flats, in addition to the 283 in the district already provided by social landlords.

Of the six remaining Council-run homes, two are undergoing significant investment.

Holmewood in Keighley has 28 beds and recently underwent a £378,000 investment, and Woodward Court in Allerton has 28 beds and is being made more more dementia friendly.

The other four homes are Holmeview in Holme Wood (35 beds), Beckfield, near Peel Park (34 beds), Norman Lodge in Odsal (35 beds) and Thompson Court in Bingley (37).

The report, by Lyn Sowray, assistant director of operational services, says: "The strategy does not assume that existing long-term care service users will continue to be supported with the in-house service, and that alternative placements in the independent sector need to be considered when planning for future care needs."

The committee meets at Bradford City Hall at 4.30pm on Thursday to discuss the report.