KINGSWINFORD pensioners have been looking forward to a secure future at an event marking success in saving their home.

Residents at New Bradley Hall care home held a party yesterday (July 22) for family members, staff and campaigners to celebrate Dudley Council's reversal of a decision to close the Stream Road centre.

Campaigners fought an emotional battle to save the home after the authority's cabinet voted last September to shut New Bradley Hall and re-house more than 30 elderly residents.

In November, the then Conservative-run Dudley Council set the decision aside for more consultation and were the first major party to pledge not to close the home.

By polling day in May's local elections, which delivered an emphatic victory for Labour, all the borough's political parties had committed to saving the home.

Current residents have been told they can stay although question marks remain over the future role of New Bradley Hall.

No more long-term residents will be accepted at the centre, which will instead take people for short placements to provide respite care.

At a meeting of Dudley Council earlier this month, Tory spokesman on social care, Cllr David Vickers raised concerns about the cost of running the home in the coming years.

Cllr Vickers said: "We heard of a different council where there was one resident left in a council care home with 13 carers at a cost of £415,000 per year."

Dudley leader, Cllr David Sparks, told the meeting he would be concerned by a similar situation in Dudley but reassured residents they would be able to stay at the home as long as they wanted.