A COUNTY council is investing over £6m to improve its residential care homes for older people.

Lancashire County Council's cabinet approved the £6.6m funding in a meeting yesterday (Thursday).

It will see improvements to all 17 county council-run care homes.

The scheme will help to modernise the buildings, improve safety systems, install new facilities and redecorate the homes to ensure they are welcoming and provide a better environment for people with complex conditions such as dementia.

County councillor Graham Gooch, cabinet member for adult services, said: "Our care homes provide vital support for over 750 people across Lancashire.

"They have a great reputation with residents and their families and most are rated as good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

"They are used day in, day out, so there's a lot of wear and tear on buildings, decoration and facilities.

"These aren't just buildings, they're people's homes and we've got to keep them maintained to a high standard so they're comfortable and meet modern standards."

Now that the funding has been approved, there will be a tendering process to award contracts for the work at the 17 care homes.

The improvements to the residential care homes will be carried out over the next two years.