KATHLYNN Walton was 92 years old yesterday.

But on what should have been a day of celebration, she is having to come to terms with the possibility of losing her home.

She is one of around 30 vulnerable elderly people at a care home which has been earmarked for closure as part of a council modernisation programme.

One council boss has admitted: "The majority of residents here are very dependent. This is their home as far as they are concerned."

And relatives of the residents at Kingsway, Montague Close, off Montague Street, Blackburn, have reacted angrily to the proposal.

A 12-week statutory consultation period starts next week, and if Blackburn with Darwen Council confirms the proposal in January 2007 the home would probably close in March.

Social services have promised to re-assess each individual's needs if the home is to close, and those requiring residential care would continue to have that in another home.

Relatives have demanded to know why the home, one of six run by the council, has been earmarked for closure.

Kathlynn's step-son Trevor Walton, 59, of Moorgate Gardens, Blackburn, said she had moved to the home two years ago as she kept falling.

Now Mr Walton, a postman, fears for her future. He added: "When they get to that age people don't want to be fretting about. I don't think it has sunk in for her yet. " The move is likely to be just after Christmas. It's not easy finding somewhere else.

"The council should re-think what they are doing because people are more important than anything else."

Council bosses said they appreciated the proposal would be upsetting to residents but it was part of dealing with changing times.

They said despite an aging population the number of people who want to be cared for in their own home was increasing while those wanting care home accommodation was declining.

Officials said that the home, built in 1970, was no longer fit for purpose and because of its layout, on two floors, residents could die if there were a serious fire.

The home has a capacity to house 38 people and there are currently about 30 pensioners living there.

Brenda Thomas, whose 103-year-old grandmother lives at the home, said relatives were given only six hours notice of a meeting to discuss the issue.

She said: "They advised us that the money saved by shutting Kingsway would go towards new sheltered accommodation. How will that help the residents of Kingsway?

"How will that help my grandma who at 103 has been there for nearly 20 years?"

There are currently 100 vacancies available in publicly and privately-owned homes across the borough.

Social services said the focus was increasingly on extra sheltered housing, where people live in their own home but have 24-hour home care.

The council is already building such a community facility off St Aidan's Avenue, Mill Hill, Blackburn at a cost of more than £6million. When it opens in October 2007 it will have places for 70 people.

Councillor Frank Connor, executive member for social services, said: "We have developed many new services, including 42 new extra care housing places, with over 70 more on the way.?

"Those changes mean we need to look at the whole way in which older people are supported.

"The aim of this review is to see how the entire Council can better support people in their own community. Nothing has been decided yet, and we want to know what people think."

About 30 people work at Kingsway in a mixture of part and full-time jobs.

They will be offered jobs either in other homes or other areas of social services.

Some of the staff have worked there for more than 20 years.