In the face of the GMB campaign and mounting public pressure to save Derbyshire's Care homes, Derbyshire County Council have today announced a reversal of plans to close seven care homes in the county.
The plans would have impacted on over 300 care jobs in the county, and seen the reduction in care homes run by Derbyshire County Council from 23 to just 16.
Commenting on the victory, Martin Allen, Regional Secretary for GMB Midland & East Coast Region, said:
"The plan to close these Derbyshire care homes, putting hundreds of jobs at risk in the care sector, was a bad idea from day one.
"The public knew it, care workers knew it, residents knew it and the GMB union knew it.
"This decision not to close them will come as welcome news at a time when our care workers have been at the front line of tackling this virus.
"The GMB is proud of each and every care worker that has made this happen and we will continue to fight for them every step of the way".
Significant questions remain in terms of the detail of this announcement, but the GMB will be keeping the pressure on Derbyshire County Council to update care staff, residents and local people in the coming weeks.
ENDS
