In the wake of the shock closure of failing private care homes in recent months, there is mounting opposition to the planned closure of council-owned care homes.

Surrey County Council is due to make a decision on its plan to close six of its care homes at a meeting next week.

GMB’s Surrey branch and Save our Services in Surrey are organising a protest to coincide with the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, March 10.

Merok Park care home in Banstead and Grantley Court in Sutton were shut down in December after health watchdog the Care Quality Commission identified failings in care.

In view of these closures, Liberal Democrat councillor Fiona White is asking: "Do the cabinet member for adult social care and his cabinet colleagues believe that this is the right time to close council-owned residential homes, especially in view of the responsibility on Surrey to provide alternative care at very short notice in the case of a home being required to close?"

The opposition group issued a statement saying: "Liberal Democrats on Surrey County Council think it is not."

But county councillor Mel Few, cabinet member for adult social care, said: "The most important thing is to make sure older people receive the very best care.

"We’re helping many more people stay in their own homes until much later in life and increasingly they require almost constant nursing when they do go into care, which our homes can no longer continue to cope with."

On its website, GMB said: "The proposed closures will not only affect those currently cared for - the closures will mean distress to residents and relatives, as well as causing the loss of council emergency provision, the loss of over 400 jobs and that all future residential care provision for Surrey residents will be at the mercy of the commercial market."

The affected care homes are Brockhurst in Ottershaw, Cobgates in Farnham, Longfield in Cranleigh, Dormers in Caterham, Park Hall in Reigate and Pinehurst in Camberley.