A DOZEN workers at Cobgates care home have been made redundant following Surrey County Council’s decision to close the much-loved facility, it has emerged.

The last of Cobgates’ elderly residents have now left the Falkner Road home - just over a year after Surrey’s cabinet signed its death warrant, together with five other council-run homes across the county, in March 2015.

A total of 46 people formerly employed at Cobgates have also now moved on, with just four securing employment in other council roles.

The county council confirmed a further 12 chose to leave roles while the home was closing, while 18 staff opted for voluntary severance payouts and 12 people were made compulsorily redundant.

According to Surrey, staff expressed various reasons for opting for voluntary severance or being made compulsory redundancy.

Typically, these included; there were no suitable alternative roles they could move into, they did not wish to continue to work and retired, would take a break and pursue another interest, or because it enabled them to continue to receive in-work benefits due to only four of the 46 staff employed on a full-time basis.

The council is yet to make a decision on Cobgates’ future, although Mel Few, Surrey’s cabinet member for adult social care, indicated last year all six homes would retain an adult social care function.

A council spokesman said: “Yes we can confirm all residents have been moved to other care homes, and Cobgates is now closed as residential care accommodation.

“The council is continuing to support the Alzheimer’s Society to provide services from The Garden Room at Cobgates and will do so until nearby accommodation has been renovated. Alzheimer’s Society anticipate that they will relocate in the spring of 2017.    

“There has been no decision yet on the future use of the building. All the homes closed under the programme are being looked at as part of a wider review across the county to investigate whether the properties could be used to support social care and health services.

“This work is expected to be completed later this year.”

The spokesman added Surrey “provided support” to all 46 staff who were employed at Cobgates during the home’s closure.

Surrey’s cabinet agreed to close all six of the county council’s “outdated” care homes in March last year despite protests by residents of the homes, their families, the wider public and trade unions.

While praising the “excellent” level of care provided by the homes, councillors agreed the buildings are no longer equipped to meet the increasingly complex care needs of the elderly, adding a “£60 million” refurbishment required to bring them up to spec would cause even more disruption for residents than their permanent closure.

Accordingly, Longfield in Cranleigh and Brockhurst in Ottershaw closed last summer, while Cobgates in Farnham and Dormers in Caterham shut their doors this year.

The remaining two homes, Park Hall in Reigate and Pinehurst in Camberley, will be closed in the summer of 2017.