Linelands' Site Community Land Trust Ruled Out by Parish Council

Nettleham Parish Council has decided not to pursue obtaining the Linelands site on All Saints Lane in Nettleham following the authority's meeting on Thursday, 21st June 2012.

A suggestion had been presented to the Council, in April, by Mr. John Mathers of Community Lincs, that a Community Land Trust scheme might be one way of ensuring that the Linelands site remains in use as a care facility.

Section 79 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 defines a Community Land Trust as:

A corporate body which 

1.  is established for the express purpose of furthering the social, economic and environmental interests of a local community by acquiring and managing land and other assets in order
   1.  to provide a benefit to the local community;
   2.  to ensure that the assets are not sold or developed except in a manner which the trust's members think benefits the local community.
2.  is established under arrangements which are expressly designed to ensure that:
1. any profits from its activities will be used to benefit the local community (otherwise than by being paid directly to members);
2. individuals who live or work in the specified area have the opportunity to become members of the trust (whether or not others can also become members);
3. the members of a trust control it.

It is understood that Longhurst Housing Association, which owns the neighbouring Church View facility, is considering options for the site. These include a physically joint new development to the existing scheme to allow for shared facilities. A split freehold would make this idea very difficult to pursue. Any scheme is in the very early stages, until Lincolnshire County Council commits to progress plans further with Longhurst they are not prepared to invest resources in potentially abortive pre-development work.

The Linelands building remains closeed and boarded up.

Councillor Seeks to Reassure Over Linelands Closure

People using three county care homes are being reassured that a range of other high-quality, local options are now available - with potential new care facilities also announced today.

The Lincolnshire County Council pledge comes as it has now decided on the closure timescales for its homes in Nettleham, Sleaford and Grantham. As it works towards modernising and personalising care provision in Lincolnshire, the authority’s Executive decided last July that the homes would close, but only when it was satisfied that suitable alternative provision was available.

In addition, the council has also revealed today that it is in the early stages of work towards new housing for the over 55’s in Nettleham and a potential dementia centre in Grantham.

Councillor Graham Marsh, Conservative (Alford & Sutton Division), Executive Member for Adult Social Care, said:

"With a rapidly growing elderly population, providing the best possible care for our residents is an absolute priority for the council. By closing three outdated and expensive homes and replacing them with access to an improved menu of care options, we hope residents can see how we’re meeting this priority.

"We promised to only close the remaining three homes when we were confident that alternatives were available; we’ve worked very hard to identify and create those alternatives by stimulating the market and high-quality choice, with sufficient vacancies and specialisms, now exists in each area.

"What’s more, we’re striving to add to this further through the creation of new, extra care housing and dementia centres, whilst £9.1m of ‘reablement’ funding with the NHS will also be invested in support services and technologies."

The county council is working with interested parties including Longhurst Group and West Lindsey District Council to develop proposals for a new-build housing-with-care facility to meet community needs in the Linelands area. The authority is also working with The Orders of St. John Care Trust towards their proposed new care home at Springfield Road, Grantham, which is expected to receive planning consent shortly with construction likely to commence during 2012.

Linelands in Nettleham, Bonner House in Sleaford and Grantham’s Harrison House are now working towards closure by the end of May. All staff are being supported and the county council is assisting those who are looking to enter the market as private providers themselves.

Cllr Marsh added:

"There will very understandably be concerns among carers and people who use the homes about the disruption and change, but we’ll help them every step of the way to make it as smooth a transition as possible. Once these have happened, we’re confident that the future for both current and future users of care services in Lincolnshire will be much improved."

Carers and the people currently using the three homes will now be invited to a series of marketplace events to help them find the best solutions for them, including respite and intermediate care and other needs. Information packs will also be sent to the service users and each of the homes, with local providers also visiting the homes to present the range of services they offer and the county council will offer all support possible.

Linelands Expected to Close in May

Linelands Care Home in Nettleham is set to close by the end of May, with alternative care found for the forty people currently using the centre.

Lincolnshire County Council estimates savings of £2.5 million by the end of 2013 from the closure of eight care homes run by the authority across the county.  Linelands, along with Bonner House in Sleaford and Harrison House in Grantham, is part of the second wave of care home closures by the council.

Linelands has twelve respite beds, fifteen intermediate care beds and forty-six day care places, catering for people with dementia and with high dependancy needs.

The move to close the centre is in line with previous Labour government's scheme to transfer care service users onto personal budgets. The County Council says it expects to be able to implement personal budget with Linelands service users by the end of May.

The first wave of care home closures included Park View in Lincoln, The Cedars in Gainsborough, Ingelow Manor in Boston, Halmer Grange in Spalding and Crowtree House in Louth.

Interim Assistant Director of Adult Social Care Commissioning, Mr. Terry Hawkins, explained that if sufficient replacement care is not found for residents, Linelands would stay open later than May.

"After closing the five homes last year ahead of schedule, we feel we can safely provide the residents with independent care and care brokerage support within three months, but Linelands will not close before."

Executive Member for Adult Social Care, Cllr. Graham Marsh, Conservative (Alford & Sutton Division), assured sufficient alternative choices for care are in place.

"We’ve worked hard to identify and create those alternatives by stimulating the market and high-quality choice, with sufficient vacancies and specialism, now exists in each area."

The council is also exploring alternative uses for the Linelands site, such as a dementia hub alongside adjacent supported living accommodation, Church View.

The latest closures will bring the total adult social care job losses to three hundred and fifteen countywide, including at the two Lincoln sites, Swallow Lodge and Linelands. Staff has been offered training to find other care jobs, as well as support to set up their own businesses to offer services to those using personal allowances.

Linelands' Employees Consulted About Redundancy Options

Employees at the Linelands care home, on All Saints Lane, Nettleham have been contacted over the weekend by letter as part of Lincolnshire County Council's ongoing 'Shaping Care' consultation. The consultation directly relates to the five of eight facilities directly managed by the council and  as part of an inclusive approach being taken by the council all employees have been contacted - whih includes the three designated to be retained for the next two years, as alternative provision is developed.

Immediately, local people learning about the situation were very concerned, but conversations with Cllr. Graham Marsh, Conservative (Alford & Sutton on Sea Division), who has executive responsibility for Adult Social Care, made it clear that none of the staff in Nettleham were in any immediate danger of being made redundant.

Linelands is expected to close in the future - in two or three years time frame - for redevelopment, once alternative provision is in place and a new facilities for extra care and sheltered accommodation can be brought forward. The current vision is for a hub providing various different types of community care to a wide range of users.

Mr. Terry Hawkins, interim Aassistant Director for Adult Social Care said:

"The proposal is for no change to our original schedule for five homes to close in September as alternative services are put in place.
"The remaining three homes won't close until further analysis and work in the market is carried out and suitable alternatives are ready. This current consultation is to do with staff changes. We remain committed to high quality care as we move towards personalisation, giving people more choice and control."

Currently the proposal is that five care homes will close by the end of September 2011, including Park View in Lincoln. Further work is being carried out for the three remaining homes, which includes Linelands. No home will close before alternative services are identified. The council says:

"No one will be left without support and we will be helping people to find alternative care that meets their needs. People will see a greater choice available in the independent sector and have more control over how they receive their care.

"This is about making sure that future care for older people meets their needs, is modern and fit for purpose. People told us they wanted to see high quality care that is responsive, modernised, accessible and providing value for money."

Details of the Shaping Care for the 21st Century can be found here.

Leader Will Not Now Visit Linelands

As reported yesterday Cllr. Martin Hill, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division), Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, had planned to visit Linelands carehome in Nettleham today. But following the unrelenting intrusion of the local press has had to call off today's visit and will reschedule it for another time.

The County Council is deciding how it will provide care to the county's ageing population. This includes the option of shutting eight care homes.

Cllr. Hill agreed to visit Linelands after being challenged in the Lincolnshire Echo by carer and union representative Ms Phyl Lynn to speak to those involved at the care home.

Cllr. Hill said he postponed the visit due to high media interest, but a new date would be rearranged. He said:

"I want to talk to the residents without them having to speak publicly or being intimidated by the presence of a camera.

"After I have been to Linelands I will be very happy to give interviews."

County Council Leader To Visit Linelands

The Lincolnshire Echo is today reporting that the Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Cllr. Martin Hill, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division) will come meet with carers and campaigners tomorrow at Linelands, Nettleham, which has an uncertain future following the council's review of care services.


There will be no formal meeting, but staff and residents will be able to speak to him as he tours the building.

Cllr. Hill's decision to visit is in response to a challenge made in the paper by Linelands carer and union representative Ms Phyl Lynn, who asked Cllr. Hill to 'really understand what the services are providing' before making a decision.

The county council is considering how it will provide care to Lincolnshire's ageing population, with closure one of the options.

Cllr. Hill is reported to have said:

"It will help inform us how services are delivered and how they could be delivered in the future, ahead of our decision on shaping care for the future next January."

Cllr. Hill will be joined by Adult Social Care Executive Member, Cllr. Graham Marsh and the County Council's Assistant Director for Adult Social Care, Ms Carolyn Kus.

Campaigners believe the future of the care homes is a 'done deal' and want care to come before profit.

Leader of the Opposition, Cllr. Mrs. Marianne Overton, Lincolnshire Independent (Branston & Navenby Division) has previously said any plans to close the existing homes and replace them with new buildings could be 'doomed to failure'.

Concrete proposals on what the county council is planning are expected to emerge in the autumn.

County Council Care Home Consultation Will Come This Autumn

Update to 'Linelands Consultation Meeting is 'Frank and Emotive''.

The Lincolnshire Echo today reports on plans for the future of eight county council-owned care homes which will come forward this autumn and the small protest on the steps of County Hall yesterday.

The Executive at Lincolnshire County Council is understood to have voted in favour of moving forward the emerging 'vision' - shaping care in the 21st century - to develop care facilities for older people.

Conservative councillors believe that replacing respite and day care centres with more modern accommodation, to tackle the effects of ageing populations, would benefit Lincolnshire residents, although this could see care homes privatised.

Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Cllr. Martin Hill OBE, Conservative (Folkingham Rural Division), is reported to have said that details on delivering improved service would come in 'late autumn'.

"This is a long-running saga. It's one thing to agree a vision and another to agree what will happen at a practical level. It's a difficult journey but one we must undertake and not shy away from."

Cllr. Mrs. Marianne Overton

Leader of the Opposition on Lincolnshire County Council, Cllr. Marianne Overton, Lincolnshire Independents (Branston & Navenby Division), commented:

"The current homes work really well and do a fantastic job, focused on getting people better and able to turn the key in their own front door. We need more of these facilities, not less."

Complete details on the proposals will emerge when a business plan has been drawn up and no decision has been made on whether the eight care homes will remain open or close.

Campaigners vowed yesterday, to continue fighting to keep all affected buildings open, including Linelands in Nettleham, Bonner House in Sleaford and Park View in Lincoln.

Protesters with placards lined the steps of the County Council's Offices, in Newland, Lincoln, yesterday campaigning under the slogan 'care not profit'.

Protesters at County Hall.

Mrs. Sylvia Laws, whose sister had benefited from help at Bonner House is reported to have said:

"We have a wonderful home in Sleaford. The carers are a wonderful bunch of people."

North Kesteven Seniors Chairman Mrs. Liz Peto said the group's seventy members were 'unanimous' in opposition.

No comments were made by the Liberal Democrat Group on the matter, despite Cllr. Ray Sellars, Liberal Democrat (Nettleham & Saxilby Division), taking a visible, if sometimes egregious, stance on this matter.

The County Council's Labour Group intends to 'call in' the decision. This means the executive's decision could be debated on Thursday, 17th June 2010, at the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting.

Cllr. Robert Parker

Labour Group Leader, Cllr. Robert Parker, Labour (Lincoln West) said:

"We want to see improved services, but ones that remain under the control of the council with care provided by council staff committed to giving quality care.

"We want to see the Conservative council put care before profit for private sector companies. We will be challenging these proposals by calling in the decision."

Lincolnshire's Unison Branch Secretary Mr. John Sharman said the council had missed a chance to include the public sector in the care plan, and commented that:

"The fight to save our homes has not been lost. The fight goes on."

Revised Consultation Meeting Date for Linelands Announced

The public consultation meeting about proposals for improved residential care at Linelands Care Home in Nettleham, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, 27th January, 2010, at Nettleham Junior School, from 6-8pm. This follows the cancellation of the meeting earlier this month due to bad weather.

Cllr. Graham Marsh, Conservative (Alford & Sutton Division), Executive Councillor for Adult Social Care, said:

"I encourage all local residents interested in the proposals to provide older people with new, improved standards of residential care to attend the meeting. As well as providing more information and help give us valuable feedback, it’s also a chance for residents to ask questions and get more information themselves."

Public meetings across the county will give the chance for local residents to have their say on proposals to replace eight residential care homes with improved state-of-the art accommodation, suited to the needs of older people.

Separate consultation meetings have been set up for people using the home, their carers and relatives and for staff.

The ambitious plans for eight care homes across the county would change the face of care for older people and provide brand new extra-care housing schemes and specialised dementia centres in partnership with independent sector providers.

Existing facilities would remain open while the new homes are developed so residents and users of day and respite care would experience a seamless transition from one to the other.

The County Council is consulting on the proposals for a three-to-five year programme seeking to modernise services to ensure they are high quality with a greater choice of accommodation options.

Cllr. Marsh added:

"These are exciting plans which will change the type of support available for those using our services and provide people with better options. Consultations over the past year with older people, their families and representative groups have revealed that they expect more from accommodation and care services. It is clear traditional patterns of care for older people are no longer appropriate for future service users.

"New homes could include self-contained apartments with en-suite bedrooms similar to those introduced in other areas across the country. The new schemes would have care support on site, communal areas and social facilities such as shops, cafes and pubs."

The consultation period has been extended to Tuesday, 16th February 2010, following cancellation of earlier meetings due to the bad weather. You can give your views and feedback through the Parish Council. Alternatively, go to the county council’s website for further details – www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/shapingcare - where you can complete a quick and easy online questionnaire.