Several newspapers report that the UK’s largest care home provider (Four Seasons) is in financial difficulty both from “financial engineering” and the inability of social services fees to keep up with costs. They will now sell off some homes and cut maintenance and refurbishment costs in others.

Luxury accommodation will, of course, always be available to those who can afford it. But what of the rest of us?

Is it morally defensible for a council to sell its assets so that luxury accommodation is available for the elderly, when others cannot afford it and when local youngsters are priced out of the housing market? Is it morally defensible to spend the money gained from such asset sales to build itself new offices. If our elderly have to put up with less well maintained accommodation, our youngsters being unable to own or rent homes because of high prices, why do our officers and councillors deserve it? “Making do and mending” is what the rest of us without extra resources are having to do.

Yet another example of “Local Authority plc” – running councils as businesses for profit rather than for those paying council tax. Only in this case ” shareholders” are officers and councillors, not us.

If our council tax is not paying for the services WE need – should we be paying it?