A UNION leader says a campaign would be mounted against any privatisation of York’s elderly person’s homes.

Mandy Golding, general convenor with Unison, said City of York Council should keep its residential care homes in-house, staffed by local authority employees.

She was speaking after the council revealed earlier this week it may build three new super-care homes to replace the city’s current nine homes, which are considered outdated.

Subject to cabinet approval next week, the council will launch a city-wide public consultation on the proposed £13.4 million scheme for state-of-the-art homes on the sites of Fordlands home in Fulford and Haxby Hall in Haxby, and of the former Lowfield School.

Officials say there are two options for how the new homes would be run. One would involve them being operated by council staff, as happens at present in the nine homes.

The other option would be for the council to enter into a partnership with a commercial developer to fund and build a new home, with an operator partner chosen to run the home, who could come from the “not for profit” or independent sector. Council staff could transfer across to the new operator.

Ms Golding said if the consultation went ahead, the union would mount a campaign to keep the homes’ operation in-house, claiming this would be better for both residents and employees.

She said the quality of care given in the existing homes was excellent, as well as being efficient and cost-effective, and this could continue with the new care homes.

Referring to the closure of cash-strapped private home operator Southern Cross, she said: “You only have to look at what has happened with Southern Cross to see what can happen.”

She also said that while existing council staff would transfer across to private operators under TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) regulations, this would not apply with new staff who were recruited. “You would pretty quickly get a two-tier system developing.”

Coun Tracey Simpson-Laing, cabinet member for adult social services, said the authority was open-minded on the options, and would listen to the views of individual employees and unions as part of the comprehensive consultation.