IT is almost four years since City of York Council announced it was going to scrap its outdated care homes and replace them with modern, purpose-built super-homes.

It was an ambitious proposal: but one which seemed to offer the best for York’s elderly population. Nearly three years on, however, the council has abruptly abandoned the proposals, admitting they are unaffordable.

This is a huge disappointment – not least because the authority has already spent £350,000 on planning and negotiations with private operators.

The council has effectively had to go back to the drawing board.

Its new plans include developing the site of one of the proposed super-homes at Lowfield into a 100-home housing estate, with a quarter of the homes for elderly people; bidding for Government funding to build a new care home at Burnholme; and using a private care home.

Ensuring proper housing and social care for our older population is one of the biggest challenges society faces.

Failure to provide these leads to a whole raft of problems – from hospital bed-blocking to worry and stress on the part of elderly people and their families.

When asked three years ago, people in York made it very clear they wanted the council, not the private sector, to run the city’s publicly-funded care homes.

We’re sure that remains the case today. But having wasted so much time and money, the authority must get its act together and come up with proposals that are both feasible and that will ensure the best care for the city’s elderly people.

The authority mustn’t rush into anything: the future of elderly care in York is too important for that.

But nor must it waste any more time. The clock is ticking, and some of York’s publicly run care homes are well past their sell-by date.