I was saddened to read in the Adver on July 17 that yet another elderly care home is to shut.

This is the third care home that has been shut by Mr Kendrick in the last few years forcing over 30 vulnerable people to find new accommodation. He is not alone, I understand that closure of private homes means that there are over 200 less elderly care beds in Swindon now than there were two years ago.

I don't blame Mr Kendrick, the fault lies fairly and squarely with the Labour government. Decent care homes for the elderly should be properly funded in the public sector so that our old people can live in dignity, and the carers should be paid a salary that reflects the important role they play.

This is not just a question of inconvenience for the residents concerned, the stress and dis- orientation can make this a matter of life and death.

In Sutton a private home recently closed, and within six weeks four residents have died. Tessa Harding of Help the Aged has condemned the way "older people can be moved around like pawns, to suit other people's agenda, with so little concern for their welfare".

The answer is to bring these private care homes into public ownership. I am sick to death of hearing that the country cannot afford decent pensions and welfare. That's hogwash, the Ministry of Defence has just admitted that the occupation of Iraq is costing British taxpayers £5 million a day.

When Julia Drown and Michael Wills joined the Labour Party, is this what they thought they would achieve? Illegal war abroad and pensioners driven out of their homes?

Andy Newman

Secretary Swindon Socialist Alliance

Swindon