FRESH questions have been raised over the fate of the remaining residents of council-run care home Walton House.

Speaking at the full council meeting last night (Thursday), Valley ward's Cllr Alan Siggers said: “I want to be assured that no resident will be placed against their will.

“Every resident has specified where they want to go.”

Cllr Siggers claimed letters had been sent out informing the remaining four elderly residents at the care home that they were to placed in new homes without their consent.

But cabinet member for health, adults and older people Cllr Liz Phillips said she was not aware of any such letter.

However, she added: “I've said that we can't offer more than £700 per week because otherwise we're preventing other people from coming into care.”

Cllr Phillips said the council usually offers between £450 and £600 a week for residential care, increased to recently to £700.

But the weekly cost at private care homes like the Spinney, in Chingford, is as much as £900.

This could mean that choice is lessened if residents and their families are unable to make up the gap in funding for care themselves.

Cllr Phillips said: “To offer another £100 a week is quite expensive but we've offered it and now people are pushing us for more.

“Homes like the Parkway and the Spinney have identical standards to other places and others are sometimes even better.”

She confirmed she would be investigating Cllr Siggers claim of a letter sent to residents.

Walton House was to be sold off under plans to close down all council-run homes and build two “super” care homes with the proceeds.

The plans were shelved in June as it emerged the recession had caused the amount that could be recouped from sales had plummeted.

But Walton House is still set to close, meaning all its residents will have to be moved to private care homes.