THE owner of a blighted care home has announced he is to quit after a lack of Government help for care home funding.

Barry Parvin has owned Graceland Care home for 18 years and has fought tirelessly to keep the home open.

But after a meeting with Health Minister Stephen Ladyman concluded that changes to funding will not be made until 2007 at the earliest, Mr Parvin announced his departure.

He will now concentrate on campaigning for more funding in the private sector.

The residential and nursing home, in Guisborough, east Cleveland - which will stay open - issued a closure notice in September caused by a lack of funding for carers.

But following an 8,000-signature petition to lobby the Government over its funding of elderly people's care, the home was saved.

Mr Parvin recently went to Westminster with a delegation of councillors and MPs to highlight the crisis in the private care sector.

Health Minister Stephen Ladyman agreed with Mr Parvin that staff at Graceland and all other private care homes deserved to be paid a fair wage in comparison to that of workers in council care homes.

Maurice Bates, the director of health and social care at Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, said the scrutiny committee, which will provide results by 2007, is examining the cost of care.

Mr Parvin said he was unhappy with having to wait until 2007 to address the problem. He said: "I will continue to fight for changes to the care home sector."