logo
Norfolk council owned care home is fourth to close in a year

Norfolk council owned care home is fourth to close in a year

BBC News10-02-2025
A publicly-owned care company is due to close its fourth residential home in the space of about a year.Services will cease at Linden Court in Watton, Norfolk, in April.Two other homes run by Norse Care, which is owned by the county council, closed in September and December, and a third closed in Bungay, Suffolk, in January 2024.Norse Care said changes to fire regulations, rising social care costs and the need for "substantial investment" meant Linden Court could no longer provide suitable care.
According to a Care Quality Commission report published in 2019, Linden Court cares for up to 50 people aged 65 and over.Senior director of care at the company, Jo Huxtable, said it aimed to relocate and settle all the residents in the next few months, and was "committed" to providing staff with "support and opportunities"."Closing the home is a deeply difficult decision, but the well-being and safety of our residents remain our highest priority," she added."We are working closely with residents and their families to ensure everyone finds a new home that meets their needs."
'Minimise disruption'
The company runs 32 homes in Norfolk and is the largest care provider in the county.Ms Thomas said the local authority would assess future uses for the site once the handover had been completed, with the potential for Linden Court to become independent living accommodation.Alison Thomas, the Conservative cabinet member for adult social services, said: "We understand Norse Care's decision to close Linden Court, based on a wide range of factors, and will work closely with them and everyone involved to minimise any disruption for those involved."
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rochford Council to trial 30-minute free parking scheme
Rochford Council to trial 30-minute free parking scheme

BBC News

time10 hours ago

  • BBC News

Rochford Council to trial 30-minute free parking scheme

Drivers will be able to park for free for up to 30 minutes in a council's car parks in a move to support local Council in Essex has agreed to try out the free parking scheme at most of its 11 car parks for the next three months "to help boost footfall".The council's leader, Conservative Danielle Belton, said the decision was something requested by business and residents "for a number of years".According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a meeting of the council's economic development, regeneration, and tourism committee heard the trial could cost the authority up to £42,000 for the three month period. Belton said it could also help with parking issues around schools, as parents could use short-term free spaces at drop off and pick up to council documents, the cost of a 30-minute stay in most surface car parks in the district was reduced last year from 70p to 55p in an effort to stimulate activity on the high said: "Ultimately, the council is dedicated to supporting our local businesses and especially the town centres, and it's a documented fact in other towns that short stay parking can help boost footfall. She added the council had built up more money from the car parks than it had spent, meaning it now had reserves to implement the new policy."The end goal is we see a better footfall in the town, which then creates more of a drive for other businesses to consider coming here, if they see we've offerings where people can pop into town, grab a coffee, grab a takeaway, do some errands, whatever it may be."The free parking will not apply to The Approach near Rayleigh Train Station and Hockley Woods Car Park. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

Zero-hours contracts: peers accused of ‘trying to block stronger UK workers' rights'
Zero-hours contracts: peers accused of ‘trying to block stronger UK workers' rights'

The Guardian

timea day ago

  • The Guardian

Zero-hours contracts: peers accused of ‘trying to block stronger UK workers' rights'

Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers have been accused of trying to block stronger rights for millions of workers amid a growing campaign by business leaders to water down Labour's zero-hours contract plans. In a blow for the government, the Lords last week voted to curtail the manifesto promise to give workers a right to a guaranteed hours contract and day-one protections against unfair dismissal. Setting up a showdown with the upper chamber, the Lords passed a series of amendments to the employment rights bill that will must be addressed by ministers when MPs return from their summer break. In an angry intervention on Monday, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, said the Lords was 'doing the bidding of bad bosses' and ought to 'get out of the way' of the plans. 'The sight of hereditary peers voting to block stronger workers' rights belongs in another century. It's plain wrong,' he said. Under the Lords' amendments, a requirement for employers to offer zero-hours workers a contract covering a guaranteed number of hours would be shifted to place the onus on staff to ask for such an arrangement. Protections against unfair dismissal from the first day of employment – which the government plans to reduce from the current level of two years – would be extended to six months, and changes to free up trade unions would be curtailed. The bill will return to the Commons in September for MPs to consider the amendments. The two houses then continue to vote on the changes in a process known as 'ping-pong' until a way forward is agreed. The amendments were put forward by the Lib Dem Lord Goddard, a former leader of Stockport council, and two Tory peers: Lord Hunt, who is a shadow business minister, and Lord Sharpe, a former investment banker. Hunt did not respond to a request for comment. Sharpe said: 'Keir Starmer's unemployment bill is a disaster for employees as much as it is a threat to business. Labour politicians who have never worked in business are destroying the economy. Only the Conservatives are listening to business and making the case for growth.' Goddard said he feared Labour's 'rushed bill' would be bad for workers in small businesses and on family-owned farms. 'They were badly let down by the Conservatives, and Labour seems to have a blind spot when it comes to farms and small businesses, too. 'We support the bill as a whole and have worked constructively to try to improve it. It's a shame to see the government getting upset that we didn't simply give them a blank cheque.' Employers groups welcomed the changes, saying the Lords was responding to business concerns. Helen Dickinson, the chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said: 'Putting forward positive, practical and pragmatic amendments to the employment rights bill [will] help to protect the availability of valuable, local, part-time and entry level jobs up and down the country.' Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Industry chiefs have stepped up lobbying against the workers' rights changes, warning that companies were already slashing jobs and putting up prices in response to tax rises in chancellor Rachel Reeves's autumn budget. Dickinson said there was 'further to go' to curb the employment rights bill. 'Even with these amendments accepted, retailers remain worried about the consequences for jobs from other areas of the bill.' Union leaders have, though, urged ministers to stand firm. A recent mega poll of 21,000 people commissioned by the TUC found a majority of UK voters – including Conservative, Lib Dem and Reform UK supporters – backed a ban on zero-hours contracts. Nowak said the government plan included 'commonsense protections' that a majority of people wanted to see become law. 'These peers are not just out of touch, they are actively defying their own voters – and the public at large. The government must stand firm in the face of cynical attacks and deliver the employment rights bill in full.'

Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans
Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans

Metro

time2 days ago

  • Metro

Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans

New clubs, bars and cafes will be able to set up in disused shops more easily under government plans to revitalise the 'buzz of the high street'. It is hoped the move will mean long-empty storefronts can welcome new owners with less hassle and expense from red tape. Changes to licensing and planning laws would also mean permission for al fresco dining and street parties can be fast-tracked in dedicated 'hospitality zones'. The move has been welcomed by the Night Time Industries Association, which represents nightlife and music venues around the UK. CEO Michael Kill said: 'Fast-tracking permissions for al fresco dining, extending trading hours, and protecting pavement pints are not just regulatory changes, they're a reaffirmation of Britain's social identity and our unique nightlife culture.' The government has also committed to extending the 'Agent of Change' licensing principle to bring it into effect nationally. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. This ensures the responsibility for ensuring residents of a new development are not impacted by noise from local pubs or clubs falls to the developer, and not the businesses themselves. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'This government has a plan to replace shuttered up shops with vibrant places to socialise turning them into thriving cafés or busy bars, which supports local jobs and gives people a place to get together and catch up over a beer or a coffee. 'Red tape has stood in the way of people's business ideas for too long. Today we're slashing those barriers to giving small business owners the freedom to flourish.' Chancellor Rachel Reeves added the 'clunky, outdated rules' dictating what firms can open where will be ditched 'not just for the summer, but all year round'. More Trending But Andrew Griffith, the Conservative Shadow Business Secretary, said the move represented 'pure hypocrisy and inconsistency from Labour'. He said: 'This socialist government is crippling the hospitality industry by doubling business rates, imposing a Jobs Tax and a full-on strangulation of employment red tape. 'As the result, shorter opening hours, shedding jobs and expensive pints are becoming the norm.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Young people are falling through the cracks when it comes to sexual abuse and it's killing them MORE: Five key takeaways from landmark report into UK's 'broken' water industry MORE: WH Smiths stores begin reopening as TG Jones on UK high streets

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store