THERE were emotional scenes in City Hall today, as Council bosses made a final decision to close a specialist care home for people with dementia.

Relatives of people living in Council-run Holme View, in Holme Wood, Bradford, had been fighting a campaign to keep the home open while the existing residents lived out the rest of their lives.

And a petition calling for the home to be saved had attracted 2,481 signatures.

But Bradford Council’s decision-making Executive opted to press ahead with the closure plan, citing concerns over the state of the building.

At the packed meeting, Sam Kirkby, whose 84-year-old grandmother Jean Kirkby lives at Holme View, said closing the home would cause “distress and trauma” to its 22 residents and urged the committee to consider keeping it open for a few more years, “allowing them to live their lives out at Holme View”.

He said: “They are not calling for plush surroundings or updated facilities. They are just asking to end their lives in a CQC good-rated facility that they do call home.”

Bev Maybury, strategic director for health and wellbeing, said she acknowledged the care in the home was good and the staff were dedicated, but the rooms and corridors were too small and didn’t meet the latest standards.

The Council estimates it would cost £1m to bring the home up to scratch, while closing it will save money - in 2016/17, the authority spent £1.5m on running it, with income only coming to £352,084.

Mrs Maybury said some residents were only in their early 60s, so keeping the home open while they lived out their lives would not be viable.

She said staff would support them to make a gradual transition into other homes over a period of many months, "helping them feel safe and secure in their new homes".

She added: “162 empty beds are available across the district for people with specialist dementia needs.”

The authority had been offering to pay top-up fees for any resident facing higher bills in a new home for up to two years, but after questions from family members and councillors, this was amended to at least two years, with further support to be reviewed on an annual basis.

Councillor Val Slater, portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, proposed that the Executive went ahead with the closure, saying it was “one of the most difficult decisions” she had ever had to make.

Outside the meeting room, relatives hugged each other and fought back tears.

Mr Kirkby said he was disappointed with the result, but added: “I think it was expected.”

He said the only positive from the meeting was the extra support being offered with top-up fees.

Today's decision will leave Bradford with only five Council-run care homes, down from 11 in 2009.

The authority instead wants to support the building of more extra-care flats, as well as boosting the use of home care to keep people in their own homes for longer.