Care home campaigners lose last court battle

A campaign group fighting the privatisation of two specialist dementia care homes say they will be monitoring standards at the sites after losing an appeal to halt the sale.

Kirklees Council transferred ownership of Claremont House, in Heckmondwike, and Castle Grange, in Newsome, to Mulberry Care Homes in order to save money, despite opposition from families and councillors.

Save Our Dementia Care Homes took the battle to the High Court for a judicial review but were defeated and, last month, had their appeal rejected.

Despite the loss, the group said it would "ensure" the new provider was "kept on their toes". Mulberry Care Homes said it was "committed to providing high quality care".

Kirklees Council initially proposed closing the two care homes in 2023, amid efforts to save £47.8m.

At the time, Graham Turner, cabinet member for finance, said the alternative for the local authority was to "do a Birmingham" and declare itself effectively bankrupt.

However, following a consultation and after listening to campaigners, the council decided to keep the homes open but transfer them to the private sector.

Campaigners took the council to the High Court to challenge the legality of the decision, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

Campaigner Sara Blagborough, whose mother is a resident at Castle Grange, said: "Unfortunately, this is the end of the road in terms of any legal challenge so, it felt quite disheartening.

"My mum is still very healthy, in terms of, of her physical health, so she has potentially got many years of care ahead of her, and so it is worrying to not understand or know what the future looks like for her. It's causing sleepless nights already".

The group said it was concerned about the standard of care that would be provided by Mulberry Care Home, pointing to a Care Quality Commission (CQC) report into another of its homes, White Rose House, which rated the facility as "requires improvement".

Responding to the report previously, spokesperson Philippa Williamson, said: "White Rose House was inspected by CQC in October 2025, the outcome was declared to all interested parties, including residents, staff, relatives and Kirklees in November on receipt of the draft report. CQC, residents, relatives and visiting professionals were complimentary about the care being delivered."

In a statement Save Our Dementia Care Homes said: "Despite this rating Kirklees Council is seeking to cut its losses and sell the home which leaves residents and their families to pick up the pieces and await the next steps with no formal information."

Addressing the failed legal challenge, they added: "We are naturally down but not unbowed. We owe it to everyone to ensure this new provider is kept on their toes and that the council fulfils its duty to monitor standards.

"The campaign is now assessing its options and will monitor very carefully the new owners and the care they offer."

Michelle Cross, executive director for adults and health at Kirklees Council, said: "The council acknowledges the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Court's conclusion that the decision to transfer the homes was made lawfully by Cabinet.

"We welcome the clarity provided by the Court of Appeal but we do so with respect for the concerns that families have raised during the process. The ongoing quality of care for residents of the homes remains our priority."

Mulberry Care Homes said it was "looking forward to welcoming Castle Grange and Claremont House into our group and meeting all the residents and relatives".

A spokesperson for the care provider added: "We are arranging a series of meetings to allow them to ask any questions they may have and will extend an invitation for them to visit our existing homes and meet our staff.

"A significant amount of money has been allocated for investment into the homes with refurbishments planned.

"Recruitment of staff will be a high priority due to the current high agency use."

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