Derbyshire’s care home closures are bad for the elderly, bad for care workers, and bad for taxpayers.
Conservative-run Derbyshire County Council is dismantling essential care facilities, with devastating consequences for our most vulnerable residents.
As your MP, I’m proud of the community spirit we have here in Erewash, our towns, and our villages. Here, we care about our neighbours. My team and I have spoken to tens of thousands of Erewash residents over the last few years, and in that time I’ve spoken to more than a few carers.
This is why I was so appalled last week to see that the Conservative leadership of Derbyshire County Council had done something we all feared – voted to axe their Erewash care homes, Lacemaker Court in Long Eaton and Bennerley Fields in Cotmnanhay.
This choice threatens the lives and dignity of many of most vulnerable residents. Elderly people in these care homes, and their families, face an uncertain future. Hard-working care staff, who have dedicated their lives to this work for often much too little pay, are left worrying for their jobs.
The situation in Erewash
Lacemaker Court in Long Eaton, a partially council-owned care home, is set to be axed. While parts of it are privately owned, the council’s withdrawal means some of the poorest residents in Erewash could be locked out of this facility. Care should not be a privilege reserved for those who can afford it – it’s a right, and one that Derbyshire County Council has a duty to uphold.
In Cotmanhay, Bennerley Fields – a care home built just a few years ago -will be converted into a rehab centre for patients leaving hospital. While I acknowledge the need for such spaces, this decision forces current residents out of their home and leaves Ilkeston without a public local care home. This is a short-sighted move that displaces people’s loved ones and disrupts a community that depends on local services.
The Derbyshire Tories are also shutting down the Outlook Centre, a lifeline for residents with disabilities, in Petersham, and the day centre for the elderly at Lacemaker Court. These closures hit those who need support the most – residents who’ve built their lives in Erewash and deserve to be cared for here, not sent miles away.
The price of Tory failure
The sad fact is, this choice has been made because the Conservatives have nearly bankrupted Derbyshire County Council – now scrambling to close eye-watering deficits that they themselves racked up. Their mismanagement mirrors the chaos we’ve seen nationally, from Liz Truss’s disastrous mini-budget – which sent mortgages soaring – to Labour having to save Erewash Borough Council from bankruptcy after 20 years of unbalanced Tory budgets.
Even with the county council’s dire financial situation, these closures are not the answer. The council has a legal duty to provide adult social care, and outsourcing it to private providers will end up costing more in the long-run. Until now, thanks to investments made when Labour ran Derbyshire County Council, many care homes in our area were council-owned, helping to keep costs lower for everyone. This Tory sell-off will almost certainly lead to higher prices for care home places, fewer overall spaces, and a devastating loss of local options.
Standing up for staff and residents
I want to acknowledge the incredible staff who work in these facilities, many of whom are now facing dreadful uncertainty about their futures. Care work is already undervalued and underpaid, and this decision only adds insult to injury. I have visited Bennerley Fields and Lacemaker Court and spoken to staff, and even brought now-Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall to see the Lacemaker.
Nationally, Labour is taking action. The government has increased carers’ allowance by up to £30 a week and launched a comprehensive review into the pay and conditions of care workers. Care work should be a respected and rewarding career, not one filled with constant insecurity.
Here in Derbyshire, I’m working with my MP colleagues to oppose the great sell-off. This includes Jonathan Davies in Mid-Derbyshire, who is opposing the closure of Briar Close care home in Borrowash. Together, we are fighting for a future where Derbyshire residents can live and age with dignity, cared for in their own communities.
Fighting for Erewash
This decision by the Derbyshire Tories will have far-reaching consequences. It’s not just about closing care homes—it’s about dismantling a system that has served our community well for decades. By prioritizing short-term savings over long-term solutions, they are pushing the cost of care onto families, staff, and private providers, all while reducing access for those who need it most. It doesn’t have to be this way. Under Labour, Derbyshire’s care services flourished, providing affordable, high-quality care and setting a standard that even private providers had to compete with. That legacy is now under threat.
I won’t stand by while the Conservatives strip our community of vital services. These closures aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet—they’re people’s homes, and people’s lives. I’m calling on Derbyshire County Council to reconsider these reckless cuts and work with us to find solutions that protect residents and staff. Our most vulnerable deserve better, and I will continue to fight for them every step of the way. If you or your loved ones are affected by these closures, please get in touch with my office. Together, we can make our voices heard and stand up for a fairer, more compassionate Erewash.