The fate of Bradford Council’s 11 residential care homes rests with councillors after a report which recommends closing them all and replacing them with five new homes containing a total of 154 fewer beds.

A double whammy of a growing older population and funding cuts has led to the Bradford Adult Services Residential Review considering six options for the future of adult care.

The option recommended by Council officers would see the authority invest in five new 40-bed homes over a ten-year period, eventually replacing the 11 residential care homes, which offer a total of 354 beds but are now regarded as not fit for purpose.

The homes would specialise in short-term, flexible services to help older people remain independent.

They would also include provision for people with severe dementia and younger people with dementia.

A report, which will go before the Council’s social care overview and scrutiny committee on Thursday, November 18, also recommends increasing extra care housing schemes in the district, which offer on-site care and housing support to tenants.

The review builds on a previous report put before councillors in July, which was then the subject of a three-month public consultation, responded to by 1,500 people in the district.

The other options considered in the review are: l Close all 11 homes and purchase all future residential and day-care services from the private sector.

l Refurbish the existing buildings.

l Provide four new 40-bed homes focused on short- term, flexible provision of residential day-care and outreach services and withdrawing from long-term care.

l Provide six new 40-bed homes which would be for intermediate and crisis care, long-term specialist dementia care and long-term provision for older people with physical care needs.

l Do nothing.

A minimum of £5 million in maintenance would have to be spent on the existing care homes in the next five years for them to meet basic requirements.

Councillor Amir Hussain, executive member for social care, said: “There is a great deal to consider here, but with a growing older population which also includes a growing number of people with dementia, we cannot stand still.

“We have to plan ahead to ensure that services will meet future needs and expectations of older people and their families, and provide value for money for everyone in the district. ”

Councillor Simon Cooke, chairman of the social care overview and scrutiny committee, said: “We need to look at the balance of providing the best possible services for older people with the resources available.

“This is a huge challenge which will affect not only the current residents in our homes but also tomorrow’s generation of service users.”

The Council homes represent ten per cent of the local residential care home places and 50 per cent of the specialist mental health residential care home beds.

The report will go to the Council’s executive committee on Friday, December 3.

If the recommendation to close specific homes is agreed, there would be a further period of consultation at the homes early next year, with a report back to the Council executive before any final decisions are made.