Care move fears

The council plans to hand more of its home care services over to private companies. The move has been criticised by trade union Kirklees Unison, which held public meetings in Cleckheaton and Huddersfield.

The union has said that handing services to private companies will mean less choice for service users and will mean a reduction in the quality of care.

However, the council has said that the changes will help ensure that it gets the best value for money.

After the two public meetings, a Unison spokesman said: “In total over 100 people attended the meetings, all in support of keeping home care services out of the hands of the private, for profit companies.

“The service users and their families who turned up praised the council’s in-house services.

“There has been no public consultation on this matter and the arrogance of the council to think the public of Kirklees will let some of the most vulnerable in society be thrown to the private, for profit, is not acceptable.”

In September, Unison plans to hand the council a petition against the changes and will hold a demonstration in Huddersfield.

Until then, the union will be collecting signatures outside Bright House in Dewsbury each Saturday morning to add to the 1,000 signatures that already call for the privatisation plan to be scrapped.