SIR: I refer to to the proposed homes closure, namely, Lever Edge and Stocks Park.

What Bolton Council intend to do is tantamount to murder! Some of the frail, elderly residents in these homes, will not survive the upheaval of a move.

The residents look upon the people who work in these homes as their family, especially the ones who have no family of their own. How can these councillors justify their actions? They wouldn't dream of pushing their own elderly relatives out of their own homes to go somewhere strange, if their relatives had managed to live into their 80s or 90s.

The council have blamed the 'carers' for not taking a cut in pay for this situation. If they hadn't worded the questionnaire the way it was woarded, they would have made savings.

They could save money by giving the managers of these homes their own catering budget, and cleaning materials budget instead of paying top prices to get these articles through one company. They could shop around for cheaper prices and buy from cash and carry retail outlets. Why get our food from Yorkshire when it could be got cheaper locally?

Leave our elderly people alone and settled in their homes. Have a heart.

V Kershaw

Darlington Close, Bury

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.