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12
May
Why does Harrogate need a new council-run care home?
Almost 18 months ago, North Yorkshire Council revealed an ambitious project to spend £60 million on new care hubs in the county.
The plan promised to tackle increasing demand that the council faced in the care sector and provide improved services for the elderly.
This past week, the project took a step forward after the council approved £15.7 million for a hub in Harrogate.
But, why does Harrogate need a new council-owned care home? We take a closer look at the authority’s plans.
What are the plans?
The council wants to create five 'care and support hubs' across the county as part of a wider £60 million scheme to tackle increased demand in the care sector.
The facilities, which would be owned by the council, will be built at locations where there is most demand, with the first to be opened in the Harrogate and Scarborough areas.
As part of the plan, the Harrogate hub is proposed to be located off Ainsty Road, next to St Robert's Catholic Primary School.
The planned three-storey, 60-bed hub would provide specialist residential dementia care as well as short-term support for people leaving hospital, helping to reduce avoidable re-admissions and speed up rehabilitation.
The new hub would replace the council’s existing care home on Station View in Harrogate, which was built in 1981.
An authority report said the existing facility is in need of substantial investment to remain safe and operational, with maintenance costs already exceeding £300,000 over four years and a further £1.9 million of repairs and fire safety works expected in the coming years.
Why is the council doing this?
In short, the council’s plan is to intervene in the market to help it save money in the long-term.
According to a council report, one of the main drivers for the intervention is “the requirement to purchase increasing levels of high-cost specialist older people’s residential care in the independent care sector”.
The council’s strategy is to invest in a new facility to provide care, which is estimated to save £3.7 million a year in the long run.
The report adds:
It is an ‘invest to save’ proposal that reduces reliance on costly independent sector placements; estimated to reduce future costs of up to £3.7m per annum in the Health and Adult Services budget.
Council officers say the hubs would significantly reduce the requirement for one-to-one support and reduce the reliance on expensive specialist provision.
They would also provide care for people released from hospital and in need of bed-based help, with specialist reablement and rehabilitation support available.
Meanwhile, the council estimates that by 2032 more than a quarter (27%) of Harrogate’s residents are expected to be aged 65 or over.
As a result, the authority is expected to see increased demand on its adult care services.
Cllr Michael Harrison.
Cllr Michael Harrison, the council’s executive member for health and adult services, said previously that the plan for the hubs was to tackle this rising demand.
He said:
We are facing significant challenges across North Yorkshire with rising demand and increasing costs in adult social care.
These proposed new hubs will help us to continue to deliver the best standard of care and support at crucial moments in people’s lives, while also generating long-term savings for the council and taxpayers.
What happens now?
Last week, council officials approved £15.7 million in capital funding to help progress the scheme in Harrogate towards development.
As previously reported, artist's impressions of the hub were revealed in March 2026 and consultation events were held in Harrogate about the new facility.
The council now requires planning permission to move the project onto the next stage.
According to a council report, construction work is earmarked to start in June 2027 with a view to opening in August 2028.
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