Madam,

Although the matter may seem to be closed, there is still a considerable amount of public dissatisfaction with the council’s decision to close Bodlondeb and the way in which it was arrived at.

The ‘independent’ report commissioned by CCC in 2014 by Social Services into the future of Council run residential care, was undertaken by Housing Research Ltd.

The subsequent report, known colloquially as the ‘Laight Report’, is frequently referred to by Ceredigion Social Services as a cornerstone of their current strategy.

Ian Laight appears to be Housing Research Ltd, although there is nothing wrong with being a one-man band.

So the council, seeking an independent report, contacted a firm (Mr Laight) whose stated aims include: Reduce reliance on institutional provision for people with care needs. Hardly an impartial starting point.

I do not doubt that Mr Laight is a very capable person and very good at what he does.

I would question the effectiveness of the CV (housingresearch.co.uk).

It states that Mr Laight has 40 years of relevant (if rather unspecific) experience and a host of qualifications:

• Open University Honours degree (classification not specified) in Sociology, Politics and Economics.

• Studied Estate Management at degree level (but no mention of pass/fail).

• Has several technical qualifications at undergraduate level (C&G wallpaper hanging? NVQ3 Plumbing?)

• Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (if he means Royal Society of Arts, its £14.95 a month to become a fellow).

• Affiliate Membership of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).

If he means the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS), its £240 a year to become an affiliate member (cips.com).

No qualifications or work history required.

In using the ‘Laight Report’ as a cornerstone of their residential care policy, did Ceredigion Social Services note that in 2015, Mr Laight also published an article ‘Extra Care-end of an era?’ in which he states: “..this generic model of Extra Care is in imminent danger of becoming too expensive to both develop and occupy - yet our work with commissioners continues to assume that housing and care providers will continue to deliver this model.

Not only that, there are still unrealistic expectations regarding the range of needs that this model of Extra Care can meet, particularly for people with dementia, and limited recognition that Extra Care Housing for people with higher needs can become a more expensive form of provision for Social Care Associations than Residential Care Homes.” (housingresearch.co.uk and follow the link).

Whatever the findings of the Laight Report, there is an opinion (however accurate or inaccurate it may be is currently unknown) that the Social Services were already locked in to a plan of action, of which the closure of Bodlondeb was the first step.

The fate of the county’s remaining Council run homes remains to be seen.

Yours etc,

George Holloway, Save Bodlondeb Steering Group.

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