COUNCIL chiefs this week backtracked on a decision not to allow a local pensioner a permanent place at Barnoldswick's Cravenside Home for the Elderly after pressure from a local councillor and the Herald.

Lancashire County Council had told Sue Rushton there was no permanent room at the home for her 78-year-old mother Dorothy Higson, who has lived in Barnoldswick all her life and who is currently staying in Cravenside for respite care.

But while the council later announced it would reverse its decision, Barnoldswick councillor David Whipp warned that others might not be so lucky.

"This is an exceptional decision in one instance, but the council will not be prepared to consider it for anyone else," he said.

Mrs Rushton sought help from county and town councillor Mr Whipp after her mother was refused a permanent room at Cravenside.

He subsequently contacted the Herald and when we rang Lancashire County Council to ask why Mrs Higson had been refused a place, a spokesman said the unoccupied rooms at Cravenside were being set aside for the temporary transfer of residents from other homes which are on the council's closure hit list.

The closure proposals were first unveiled in February last year, with the county council proposing to close 35 of its 48 care homes, claiming it did not have the money to bring them up to the latest standards required by the Government.

Cravenside was originally on the closure list, but following a wave of opposition and the Government relaxing its position on meeting the new standards, the council announced three of the 35 homes would be saved.

Cravenside was one of those given a reprieve, but the council said it would review the position in four years' time.

On Wednesday, the council announced Mrs Higson could stay at Cravenside after all. But Coun Whipp said although he was delighted with the decision, the battle had not been completely won.

He told the Herald that when the final vote was taken on the county council's closure proposals last September, he had asked the authority not to stop new admissions to the homes.

"So okay, we've won with Dorothy and I am delighted for her and her family, but how many other families are going to be in the same position in the coming years?" asked Coun Whipp.

"The Lancashire care homes closure programme stretches over the next five years and within this time there's going to be a lot of people who won't be able to get into Cravenside."

He also expressed concern for the long-term future of the home.

He continued: "Looking at Cravenside, it seems to me that they (the county council) are setting up Cravenside to fail despite promises that it would remain open for a further four years."

He added that the county council's policy of "significantly restricting" new permanent admissions to Cravenside meant the number of residents would dwindle, therefore making it "increasingly unviable".

Coun Whipp said: "If they're not admitting new people in there, at the end of the four years it will be empty."

Mrs Rushton told the Herald she was delighted the county had granted her mother a permanent place at Cravenside, but said she felt sorry for other people who could find themselves in the same situation.

"I think the council made an exception because we put them under pressure. At the end of the day other people might not be as fortunate," she said.

"My argument is that Cravenside was purposely built for West Craven, not for other people who live in Burnley, Brierfield and the rest of Pendle.

"I obviously have sympathy with those elderly people who are being moved out of their care homes, but people who live in this area should be given priority."

Following Cravenside's reprieve in September, Lancashire County Council said the home would be refurbished and upgraded to new national standards with a view to it being used as a county council residential care home for at least four years.

Joe Slater, project manager for the care homes project team, confirmed this week that the situation had not changed.

Mr Slater said county councillors has also been told that the level of permanent admissions to county council residential care homes would be significantly restricted due to the need to manage the system following the care home closures.

He said the authority had a duty not to move any current resident to non-county council accommodation, move them out of the district they reside in or move them more than twice.

Mr Slater added: "Because we have given assurances to residents who need vacancies, unfortunately this means that the level of new permanent admissions is significantly restricted."

He said this was not a "blanket no" to any new permanent residents and cases would be looked at on their individual merits.