COUNTY councillors have been branded a "joke" after revealing the cost of refurbishing old folk's homes rose by £7.5 million.

Lancashire County Council is set to spend the extra cash after getting its original calculations wrong.

Despite widespread opposition from residents, county councillors voted to close and sell 35 of its 48 old folk's residential homes, 19 of which were in East Lancashire, as part of a service review.

The remaining 16 were due to be refurbished and a new one built at a cost of £15, 441,000.

But County Hall bosses have admitted getting their figures wrong and said the cost has risen to £22,984,000, in spite of the fact the council was due to make an estimated £4.895 million from the sale of former homes. A report into the rising costs also revealed the closures were due to save the county £2 million a year.

Dianne Francis's mother, Lily Chiswell, 79, was moved out of Fir Grove in Burnley when it closed. Mrs Francis said: "I think it's terrible that tax payers' are paying this money and we have no idea where it is going. I just despair of the whole situation."

Gordon Birtwistle, a Burnley councillor who campaigned against the closures, said: "Council tax payers should be worried. This is a scandal and typical of the county council. I am concerned about the size of the increase. How can they say they need another £7.5 million and what is that going to be spent on? The whole thing has been a farce and the fact they can't get the costs right shows what a joke they are."

Ribble Valley County Councillor Chris Holtom said: "I am concerned that the refurbishment will cost more than we originally budgeted for and this on top of the closures which many elderly people did not want."

Cash needs to be spent on removing walls and increasing bedroom sizes before 2007 to bring all homes up to new government minimum standards.

But urgent refurbishments on things such as faulty lifts, damaged fire alarms, unhygienic kitchens and poor sanitation were also needed. The authority said there had also been a significant rise in prices for building work. Leader of the council Hazel Harding said although the costs have risen council tax payers were paying more before the closures: "We always said this was an expensive project. It is about saving money, we are aiming to give people a superb standard of living."

Tony Martin, Lancashire County Council's cabinet member for resources, added: "W e are having to look after more frail and elderly people than in the past."