COUNCIL chiefs have pledged that no decision has, or will be taken on the possible transfer of five of the authority's elderly persons homes to the 'not for profit' sector, without completion of an on-going comprehensive consultation process.

But despite the assurances, Liberal Democrat councillors have hit out at the plans. Marshalls Cross representative John Beirne told the Star: "We have a Labour council and a Labour Government so there can be no excuses - no one else should take the blame. I don't for one minute believe that anyone would offer to take over the running of OAPs homes without making a profit and the workforce will obviously be worried about their jobs and hours."

And Sutton councillor Brian Spencer added: "It's a disgraceful way to treat the staff, residents and their relatives. These plans do not make sense, there will be no savings made this year or next year but the jobs of the staff and the welfare of the residents will be put at risk. They seem to be following the government in adopting Tory policy with little or no regard for the loyal staff who work in the homes."

The pair are now urging union officials and council employees to put pressure on Labour councillors to scrap the proposals.

However, council leader Mike Doyle said the council shared the concerns expressed by trades unions over the proposed transfer but made it clear that every avenue will be explored and all views taken into account. A final decision would not be made until the situation has been resolved.

The council has already set up a programme of action which includes consultation with interested parties as part of its promise to hear all views. Key aspects include that any transfer would be subject to the Transfer of Undertakings of the Protection of Employment (TUPE); the council would maintain control of the homes' assets and would lease them to the successful organisation; and quality would be measured against the performance of the service at present.

The process that has been embarked upon does not commit the council to any position. The first stage tender process will enable the council to test out the 'not for profits' sector in order to evaluate whether they can deliver quality services, provide positive conditions for staff and enable significant savings to be made to the council's base budget.

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