A SHAKE-up of care home plans for York will face reconsideration after a council decision earlier this week was halted.

The plan to abandon a scheme for two super care homes on the sites of Lowfield and Burnholme schools was approved on Tuesday night, but now has been "called-in" by opponents who want to see more information about the failed scheme.

Liberal Democrats on City of York Council now say the authority should consult local residents on the new housing plans for the Lowfield site, and want more details on how much the scrapped plans have cost.

Cllr Ann Reid said: “To have spent four years developing proposals that have come to nothing defies belief. At various meetings the Labour cabinet member has said that progress was being made, but this was clearly not the case.

Her party colleague Cllr Andrew Waller said: "Local residents have generally welcomed the proposals to use the former Lowfield School site for a Care Village. However, despite the embarrassing collapse of this project, Labour has given very few details on what went wrong or why housing is now their preferred option for the site.”

At the same time, Conservative councillors have demanded financial assurances on the new plans.

Cllr Paul Doughty, the chairman of the health overview and scrutiny committee said: “After spending £350,000 worth of residents’ cash to learn that Labour’s plans for a series of care homes and a 'community village' have been deemed 'not deliverable', we need to be certain that these new plans are financially sustainable in the long term and represent what our older residents really want and need."

The said the new plans for housing, sheltered housing upgrades and more "extra care" provisions seem realistic, there still needs to be proof the new financial model makes sense.

Cllr Doughty added: “Also, given that CYC’s chief executive intends to conduct a full review of the reasons why there was no proper governance of the previous scheme, we believe it’s only sensible to wait until this report is produced before a final decision on this new plan is made, in order to be able to take on board lessons learned, particularly before the council commits to borrowing even more money.”

The call-in means the elderly person's housing plans will be considered by a scrutiny committee of councillors who could decide to send it back to cabinet with recommended changes.