RESIDENTS of a care home in Andover will find out whether or not their home will be shut down when a councillor in Winchester holds her “decision day” this afternoon.

But Hampshire councillor Felicity Hindson, the executive member for adult social care, will have to run the gauntlet of a “dignified lobby” and accept a 4,000-signature petition before deciding whether to accept the officers’ recommendation to close Cherry Orchard.

Campaigners have questioned why, at a time when the population of over-85s is rocketing, the council is considering shutting the home.

Campaigner David Duke, whose mother lives in the home, said: “The county council has failed to make any credible case, but it would seem that our fears that the consultation would be a cosmetic exercise were well founded.

“The home is viable, well-run and more than fit for its purpose. The council’s grounds for closing it simply don’t add up.

“Closing a wonderful home like Cherry Orchard would be a grave mistake, for our own relatives and for those who will need its excellent facilities in the future.”

Mary Burke, whose father is a resident, said: “Once again we have had Hampshire wading in with their size nines, leaving our loved ones in tears by telling them that they are going to lose their homes.

“We have told the council time and again that we need to be there with our loved ones when important visits are made, but once again the letter telling us about the visits arrived after they had taken place.”

Hampshire says the 1970s home was not built to meet the needs of those with increasing physical and mental frailty.

To bring it up to standard would cost more than £2.2m and that the increased room sizes resulting would cut the number of beds from 43 to 26 – making it financially unviable.

The council also says that these old and frail people are now given more choice and the choice to stay at home is a growing preference.

Councillor Hindson said: “The views of those affected are very important and I will be taking into account the results of the consultation when I make my decision.

“There are a number of other factors that I will also need to take into consideration, including the analysis of the care market in Andover and its ability to continue to meet local demand, the decreasing requirement for residential care due to people’s growing preference to remain in a home of their own and the ability of the building to meet increasingly complex needs in a cost effective way.”