Call to review privatising homes

The move towards privatisation sparked protests a year ago

A move to privatise residential care homes for the elderly in the Highlands may be reviewed.

The SNP group on Highland Council have asked officials to revisit the decision to transfer them to the private sector.

Campaigners staged a protest last May when the decision was taken to put the running of the homes out to tender.

Sheila Mackay, of the Highland Senior Citizens Network, said the homes' future was an important issue that had to be kept in the "public eye".

The Nationalists made their pledge to press for a review after forming a coalition with the council's larger Independent group.

Before this month's election the authority was controlled by independent councillors.

We want to keep this very firmly in the public eye because it is an important issue as far as the elderly people are concerned, but its is also an important issue as far as democracy is concerned Sheila Mackay Highland senior citizens

SNP group leader John Finnie has met council chief executive Arthur McCourt and asked for the matter to be re-examined.

He said: "There seems to have been a lot of misinformation about the care homes and it is for that reason I have asked for clarification of the officials' position.

"The commitment is to examine and do what we can to removing much of the uncertainty that clearly will have a negative affect on the residents of these homes."

Mrs Mackay said: "We want to keep this very firmly in the public eye because it is an important issue as far as the elderly people are concerned, but its is also an important issue as far as democracy is concerned."

Last October, Highland Council set out its stall to more than 30 companies interested in taking over a third of its care homes for the elderly.

Potential bidders

At that time six homes in five communities were earmarked for transfer to the private sector because the council said it could no longer afford to upgrade them.

It guaranteed contracts of a minimum of 15 years to bidders.

The council, which hosted a conference in Inverness with potential bidders, said it had hoped to be in a position to award a contract or contracts by this summer.