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Aug 2020
Families await county council decision on Henshaws home service
Families with loved ones in the care of Henshaws will be waiting on a county council decision today on a proposal for the authority to take over the charity's assisted living service.
North Yorkshire County Council bosses want to bring the service, which currently has 10 properties in Harrogate with a capacity for 26 people in total, in-house.
Senior councillors will vote on the proposal this morning, which would see the authority take over the service from October.
One family with a person with disabilities in Henshaws said they would support the county council, should it approve the plan, but urged them to “get it right”.
They said:
Read more on this story:
- “Home once a week for love and cuddles”: the experience of a family with a loved one in Henshaws during lockdown
- Why Henshaws is also closing its Arts and Crafts centre
- Henshaws to close homes service for disabled by October
In a report, the county council said it is not confident that handing over the service to another company would not result in the loss of services and that taking over would “ensure full continuation of services”.
It comes as Henshaws announced back in June that it would close the service.
The charity's CEO, Nick Marr, told the Stray Ferret that the charity has been on a “knife-edge financially”. Latest financial accounts from August 2018 show it to be spending £12.3 million – £1 million more than its income.
No further accounts have been published by the organisation. However, it announced earlier this year it would not be reopening its arts and crafts centre in Knaresborough because of financial difficulties.
The county council said it became aware of the charity’s financial situation in November 2019.
It added that it was now “determined” to get the best outcome for families by taking over the running of the supported living service.
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