Caring Dorothy Devereux has spent 12 years living at Woodlands – where she once worked as a nurse looking after its elderly residents.
Now 93 and having become one of them herself, she told the Mirror: “This was the obvious place to come. It is home and everything I own is here.”
However, she and many friends at the Clayton-le-Moors home were almost turfed out when Reform-run Lancashire County Council last year earmarked it for closure to save money – until a public outcry.
A group of them – from 83-year-old Carmel Wickham to Ken Ormerod aged 100 – have now written an open letter, today published by the Mirror, urging voters to help stop Nigel Farage’s party winning any more council seats at Thursday’s elections.
Dorothy said: “Vote and speak up. You might think it doesn’t count, but it does. I might have felt the same if my Reform-run council hadn’t tried to force me out of my care home. But they did.
“I hope nobody votes for Reform. I understand the need to cut costs but we are not lines on a spreadsheet. We are people who’ve spent our lives caring for others and deserve dignity and stability in our final years.
“Reform thought the elderly would be an easy target, and no-one would notice if they closed our homes, but they were wrong. We’ve had so much support.”
Residents of Woodlands still face uncertainty. Dorothy added: “We don’t know if they’re going to keep their promise, privatise Woodlands or increase the fees, which I can’t afford.”
Her daughter, former teacher Frances Duxbury, 68, said: “The level of stress this has caused the residents and family members has taken its toll. My mum has not been well since and this can’t have helped matters”
Wayne Campbell, 68, whose mum Joyce Porter, 88, lives at the home, said: “When she moved in three years ago she was on end of life, but it changed her – she came alive again. She fell in love with the place. There’s a real warm atmosphere and the staff are outstanding.
“The thought of it closing has affected her and her dementia has come on. She hasn’t got a good word to say about Reform. This is good money spent on good public services. It’s not wasted. I spoke to Reform at a consultation and found they were out of their depth.”
The council announced a review of five care homes and five day centres last October in a bid to make around £4millon in savings. They were identified due to concerns around their condition, safety and viability.
After protests, Reform announced they would not be closing and instead announced “investment” in them. It also emerged that Graham Dalton, a Reform councillor, co-owned a private care company.
Reform won 52 of 84 Lancashire County Council seats in May 2025. In Derbyshire, a Reform-run council has announced its intention to close eight care homes following failed sale negotiations.
A spokesperson for campaigning organisation Avaaz said: “This is a stark warning of what Reform in power could mean.” Unison’s Jon Richards said: “Reform’s only interest is in peddling easy answers, not rolling up sleeves to fix problems.”
A spokesperson for Lancashire County Council said: “A report about the outcome of the consultation is due to go to our Cabinet later this month.
“Members will then consider next steps. We will be keeping residents and their families fully informed and very much value their contribution.”
