THE controversial closure of two of Stockton's council-owned retirement homes is to go ahead, it was decided last night.

Stockton Borough Council's cabinet passed social services plans to close Belasis, in Billingham, and Tithebarn, in Thornaby, at a meeting in Billingham.

Hundreds of protestors, including staff, relatives and unions gathered at the meeting to voice their opposition. Many were in tears after council leader Bob Gibson and his cabinet decided to close the homes.

The protest group, Rafac (Residents and Families Against Closure), says that if the council's plans go ahead, the stress of moving from their home so late in life could make the elderly residents ill.

Social services bosses on the council put forward the proposals after they discovered they would have to spend £2m on refurbishments, to bring the four remaining local authority homes in the area in line with new Government care guidelines.

Only one retirement home will be kept under local authority control, with another passing into the private sector. But Labour councillor Stephen Walmsley, who is also a carer, said: "If homes go into the private sector there is usually a downturn. The bottom comes out of the market. What happens then?

"We are talking about real people. What concerns me is that we are going to have a situation where our elderly are nomadic."

The council's cabinet passed the plans in December, despite opposition from residents' families. But the council watchdog, the scrutiny committee, referred the plans back to the cabinet for review, recommending further public consultation and more detailed financial plans.

However, the cabinet decided to push ahead with the proposals, overruling recommendations from the scrutiny committee.

The council's Conservative leader, Stephen Smailes, said: "We do have some sort of responsibility to keep public homes. We have a moral duty to the elderly of this borough, who have paid their taxes. They deserve something better than this."

Rafac spokesman Harry Cummings, whose mother is in Belasis, said: "We are going to keep on fighting, whether it be through a judicial review, or seeking legal advice."