IN the wake of last week's revelations that Lancashire County Council could be looking to sell off or close down its old people's homes, comes news that its "domiciliary services", including home helps, are also under threat.

According to local Liberal councillor Tony Greaves, the county council's Labour leaders are looking at options for cuts and privatisation in the services it provides to people in their own homes.

"I am bewildered by it all," said Coun Greaves. "Just what is going on?"

"Why can't the Labour county councillors tell people what is happening and debate these vitally important matters in a sensible, open and democratic way?"

He said the working group on the future of the homes throughout the county was also discussing options for the services provided to disabled and elderly people in their own homes. These options included selling off the whole service, and making drastic cuts in the services provided.

Coun Greaves said he believed that top Labour councillors had already accepted that they could not go on providing the present level of service in the present way.

He also understood that they were looking at a number of options for home helps and other domiciliary workers. One is to form them into a "direct service organisation" or an arms-length company where they would have to compete with the private sector.

Another option is to "slim the service down".

"This is a euphemism for making drastic cuts in the services provided to help elderly people go on living in their own homes," he said. "I am appalled that the Labour County Council is considering this at all."

Another option being considered is to sell the service off either to a large charity or other voluntary sector organisation or to the private sector, and to let them compete for contracts or enter into some kind of partnership deal with the county council.

Coun Greaves said many of these options could be bad news for the staff, who might lose their jobs or have to accept worse pay and conditions.

"But they are of most concern to the people receiving services and their relatives, and people who will need them in the future," he added.

"All we are asking for is that the Labour leaders at the county council come clean and discuss these options properly and openly with everyone in the community, staff, service users, elected councillors and concerned people.

Coun Greaves added that the Liberal Democrats believed that the practical services provided for people to live in their own homes were the very foundation of care in the community.

He said it was a disgrace that the Labour Party in Lancashire was discussing cuts in these absolutely vital services.

"Just whose side are these people on?" he asked.

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