| Blackpool Fylde and Wyre Trades Council at its meeting on Tuesday May 31 condemned Blackpool Council's decision to close Hoyle House (Grange Park, Blackpool) and sack its work force, and resolved to campaign to keep it open. Hoyle House acts as a "halfway house" for patients of Blackpool Victoria Hospital and also provides temporary care for seriously ill people who are generally cared for at home with their families. Andrew Wheatley, Secretary of the Trades Council, said: "The decision to close Hoyle House was made by the previous Tory council, in line with Conservative party ideology. It is a mean, illogical and penny-pinching decision. "If Hoyle House is closed, patients will spend longer in Blackpool Victoria Hospital, meaning that there will be no net saving to the public purse. "In addition Hoyle House allows carers to have a brief rest, safe in the knowledge their relatives will still be properly be cared for and can be visited on a daily basis. This enables Blackpool people to be cared for at home on a long term basis, without their families cracking under the strain. "The closure of Hoyle House will result in people becoming institutionalised in the care system, and will break up families. "The closure of Hoyle House is a cruel and ill-thought-out decision of the previous Callow administration. Keeping Hoyle House open will be one of first tests of our Labour Council, which was returned to power following four years of Tory rule. The people of Blackpool are expecting the Council to abide by its election commitments and suspend the closure with immediate effect. "As a first step the Council must IMMEDIATELY halt the closure, withdraw notices to the staff, and engage with the workers and their union, Unison. "The Trades Council has put in place a programme of action including demonstrations outside Hoyle House later this week when termination notices are due to be issued to staff. "One thing is certain, the closure must not be allowed to take place, only for the Council to present it as a 'fait accompli' which cannot be reversed." ENDS Notes for editors: Blackpool Fylde and Wyre Trades council is the voice of working people in the aforementioned boroughs. More than 13000 trade union members are affiliated to our Trades Council. We work closely with Blackpool Against Cuts which is a grass roots movement that has a specific remit to campaign against the cuts. |