West Lothian care home closure plans 'the final straw' for Labour party

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Proposals to close care homes in West Lothian have been described as ‘the final straw’ by local Labour councillors as they confirmed they would oppose the plans.The decision comes two months after the minority Labour-led West Lothian council were confronted with proposals, a row which had divided councillors, union and party members.Following a meeting earlier this week West Lothian Labour Party branded the latest budget cuts which the Integration Joint Board faces “ the final straw.”The party said it backed local campaigns to protect care staff jobs and “valuable facilities.”The party has also called on Holyrood to properly fund leisure facilities including swimming pools in the county.Labour councillors, and especially the council leader Lawrence Fitzpatrick have faced criticism from unions and former colleagues, including former MSP and councillor Neil Findlay, over the proposals to further privatise care of the elderly in care homes and at home.The potential closure of at least two of the council owned care homes has also been raised.In a statement the party said: “The Labour Party in West Lothian completely opposes the shutting of leisure facilities and the closure or privatisation of care homes in West Lothian.“This proposed loss of valued public facilities is the final straw in the years and years of cuts imposed on Local Councils and the NHS by both central Governments.

We support the local campaigns against these proposals and call on both governments to increase funding to these local bodies to keep our facilities open.It added: “We request the assistance of the Scottish Labour Shadow Cabinet and our local Labour MSPs in lobbying the Scottish Government for additional funding to prevent these cuts.“We call on