Eight County Council-run care homes now empty and closed, after planned sale failure

Eight Derbyshire council-run care homes have now been emptied and closed, with remaining residents moved elsewhere, after planned sales to a sole provider failed late last year.

All eight care homes which had been put up for sale by Derbyshire County Council have now been vacated as of the first week of June, it has confirmed, with processes to “dispose” of the buildings now beginning.

For some former care homes, this disposal process could include reuse by another council service, a Reform UK cabinet member has now said.

The council has already filed a notice for the upcoming disposal, to be decided in private, of the first of the eight affected care homes, Castle Court, in Castle Gresley, South Derbyshire.

That first decision, to be decided in a confidential meeting by Councillor Carol Wood, cabinet member for the environment (which includes management of council buildings), is due to take place in July.

The eight affected care homes which are now vacant and set to be disposed of on the open market are:

• The Leys, Ashbourne
• Thomas Colledge House, Bolsover
• Briar Close, Borrowash
• Castle Court, Castle Gresley
• The Grange, Eckington
• Lacemaker Court, Long Eaton
• New Bassett House, Shirebrook
• Rowthorne, Swanwick

The decision to dispose and sell the eight affected care homes was taken by the previous Conservative county council administration in late 2024, before the May 2025 election in which Reform UK gained control.

An intended sale to a sole operator was pursued but failed in December last year, in the lead-up to Christmas.

The decision was then taken to empty the facilities and close them, with all residents needing to find new accommodation, as opposed to potentially staying in the facilities under new management.

Mark and Sonia Essex, whose mother Sheila had lived at Castle Court and had dementia, had been severely distressed and worried about the closure.

They had dubbed the then-potential closure “diabolical” and had “grave concerns” about the facility being only half full due to its future uncertainty.

Mr Essex, a former railway operations worker who has lived in Swadlincote all his life, has now told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that his mother-in-law passed away in November.

He said: “It was always on the cards to dispose of it and close them. We know the sale fell through in December.

“It is absolutely scandalous what has happened but that is what life is like now. They say there is no money to spend but they would just rather spend money elsewhere than on the elderly.”

He said Castle Court was “one of the best care homes in the area” and one of the last council-run care homes in south Derbyshire, alongside Oaklands in Swadlincote.

Councillor Joss Barnes, county council cabinet member for adult care, said: “Now our residents are settled into their new homes, our property department is assessing each of the eight care homes to determine what will happen to them.

“A range of options are available, including potentially repurposing them for another council service or for sale. 

“The future of each of the homes will be considered by our property team on an individual basis in the coming months.

“We supported our residents throughout this time with all eight properties empty by the first week of June.

“In July, our cabinet member for environment Councillor Carol Wood is due to consider whether or not Castle Court can be sold.

“It’s vital we have a sustainable in-house care service fit for the future and our focus is now on wraparound dementia care with integrated day services to support carers.

“We’ve increased the number of community support beds across the county which not only helps people get home from hospital, they also help prevent people from going into hospital by offering short-term support and rehabilitation.

“Our focus is to help more people to live independently at home, in their own communities among family and friends, which is what they tell us they want.

“This transformation will help us support our residents to live the lives they want to for as long as they can.”