Elderly housing schemes get £80m

People should be offered a choice, says the government

More than 2,000 flats are to be built in England for elderly and vulnerable people who need some care but do not want to go into a home.

The government is providing £80m for "extra care" housing schemes on 25 sites, which will be aimed at those with dementia and long-term conditions.

Couples are often unable to stay together if they opt for a care home.

Extra care housing gives tenants a place they can rent or buy leasehold, with care and support services on site.

Health and Care Minister Ivan Lewis announced where the accommodation would be built as he and Sir Michael Parkinson presented one of the selected sites, in Barnsley, South Yorkshire with a cheque for £3.8m.

Mr Lewis said the new scheme was about "offering people a choice".

"Too often I hear of cases where a couple who have been together for over 50 years are forced apart because one requires care and has no choice but to enter residential or nursing care leaving their partner at home."

The government said it wanted residents to enjoy greater privacy, dignity and independence, while also giving homeowners a chance to keep some of the equity in their property.

Since 2004, the Department of Health has allocated £147m to local authorities for extra care housing, for the development of 72 schemes which are expected to provide 4,200 dwellings.

The new 25 sites are:

• Bethel Road Extra Care, Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council

• Shaftmoor Lane, Birmingham City Council

• Whitehouse Street, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council

• Chellaston Village, Derby City Council

• Broadfield House ECH, Boston, Lincs

• Welland Court, Nottingham City Council

• Kingsway, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

• Brookside, Lancashire

• Carlisle Extra Care Scheme, Carlisle

• Whitebeck Court, Manchester City Council

• Newbury Court, Trafford

• Mendell Lodge, Wirral

• Archbishop Wake, Dorset County Council

• Dunboyne, Torbay

• Rutland House, Wiltshire

• Mount Pleasant Court, Hackney, London

• Vernon Gardens, Brighton & Hove City Council

• Kiln Farm Village, Milton Keynes Council

• Brighton Hill, Hampshire County Council

• Orchard Fields, Oxfordshire County Council

• Shaftsbury Court, Essex County Council

• Dorset Avenue, South Shields

• Racecourse Extra Care Scheme, Sunderland City Council

• Orwell Walk, Hartlepool Borough Council

• Linskill, North Tyneside Council