Councillors in Stafford have vowed to investigate plans to save the doomed Staffordshire care homes.

A motion to explore options which could see the homes bought by the borough council – and plunge the authority into debt running into millions of pounds – was passed at a meeting last night.

The plans were mooted by Labour Councillors Tony Pearce and Ralph Cooke, and councillor agreed that the suggestion should be looked at.

At the meeting Councillors Pearce and Cooke asked the authority to consider purchasing and running the 33 homes and day centres set to be axed – including Foxwalls in Stafford, Roseneath in Stone.

They claim that by using ‘Prudential Borrowing’ – borrowing cash from the Government, or the open market, the authority could buy the homes and repay the debt when they began to ‘pay for themselves’.

An amendment was made to their suggestion by Liberal Democrat Councillor David Seary, who said the council should be more prudent when looking at the financial options.

He suggested the authority look to develop a partnership with a non-profitmaking organisation such as a housing associations, to see if the care homes and centres could be run a different way.

Although there no price tag has been placed on the 22 care homes and 11 centres as yet, there is no doubt the purchasing costs alone would run into the millions – a huge financial risk for the council, which has a budget of just £19 million annually.

Councillor Seary’s amendment was backed by the council, and Councillor Cooke said that the situation, branded ‘deplorable’ by the chamber, transcended party politics.

He said: “We are dealing with the pain of those who are suffering, their anxiety and fear. Without overdramatising, lives are at stake.”

While backing the amended motion Mike Heenan, cabinet member for resources said it was important not to give people unrealistic expectations.

He said: “There could be a gem of an idea here. I don’t think this matter should be dismissed out of hand.

I don’t want to give people too much hope but having said that I would invite the whole council to support the motion.”