Durham faces judicial challenge and Scottish residents refuse to move

A son fighting to stop the demolition of his 89-year old mother’s
care home has been given permission to seek an urgent judicial
review.

Bernard Worley is challenging Durham Council’s decision to demolish
the Stoneleigh House residential care home in Barnard Castle.

Despite the council’s insistence that it had done nothing unlawful,
the judge said it was “arguable” that the council had failed to
properly consider Lavinia Worley’s right to respect for her home
and family life, enshrined in article 8 of the European Convention
on Human Rights.

He ordered that the judicial review challenge should take priority
and be heard as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, nine older people are refusing to move out
of their residential home, which has been earmarked for closure
within a few months.

They have told South Ayrshire Council that they will have to be
physically removed from St Meddens Court in Troon. The council
wants to move the residents to Crosbie Tower, a Church of Scotland
establishment that is empty.

The residents were told last year by the social work department
that their home was to be demolished so that a housing association
could build retirement flats on the site.

Pat Brown, a retired nurse who sits on Troon Community Council,
responded to the residents’ plea for support and petitioned the
Scottish parliament about the closure.

South Ayrshire Council said the move was part of a review of
council services intended to allow more older people to be looked
after at home.

But Brown dismissed the case as “nothing but a cost-cutting
exercise”. “South Ayrshire Council wants to do away with
residential homes and make the point that the way ahead is home
care,” she said.

The St Meddens residents were inspired by a group of 10 care home
residents in Fife, whose families are fighting to keep them in a
Church of Scotland home set for closure in March.