Campaigners fighting to stop the privatisation of two dementia care homes in Kirklees have a date for a judicial review.
Families of residents at Castle Grange in Newsome and Claremont House in Heckmondwike have questioned how Kirklees Council has handled the process.
The campaign group has hired law firm Irwin Mitchell LLP and they’ve now got a date for a judge to hear their case.
The judicial review hearing is scheduled for Thursday September 25 at the Combined Courts Centre, 1 Oxford Row, Leeds, LS1 3BG.
The campaigners have a barrister and King’s Counsel to represent them while Kirklees Council has also instructed lawyers.
The council wants to transfer the two homes to private sector operators to save money but families fear standards of care will be reduced, impacting the health and wellbeing of their loved ones.
The group has been fighting to save the homes for two years and a spokesman said: “We continue to be both grateful and overwhelmed by the huge public support we have received for our campaign.
“We are profoundly disappointed that the council has chosen to aggressively challenge our case.
“We have sought to work with the council both to better understand the case, and to seek more jointly suitable solutions. But at every step, we have been stonewalled.
“We are left with the question of how the council expects taxpayers to foot their legal bill when they are not operating democratically and in the public interest.
“We are calling on all our supporters to join us for a protest rally outside the court at 9am on the day to show the ongoing depth of support for maintaining decently funded public services.”
A Kirklees Council spokesman said: “The transfer of Claremont House and Castle Grange has been through a long process of evaluation, engagement and public scrutiny. Throughout that time, the council has prioritised the quality of care for residents.
“The decision is now subject to legal proceedings and it would be inappropriate to comment further, or explore alternative options, until we know the outcome of that process.”
