‘Now is the time to stand together’: Petition launched to save Chipping Norton care home facing proposed closure

Oxfordshire County Council launched a six-week consultation on Wednesday, September 9, asking for the public’s views on the proposed closure of the Henry Cornish Care Centre.

The purpose-built care home opened in 2010 with capacity for up to 50 residents and currently employs around 50 members of staff.

However, the council is proposing to close the home because it says demand for residential care has fallen, leaving a significant number of empty places.

The council currently pays for 14 places at the home which were previously used for short-term NHS rehabilitation.

It says between September 2025 and August 2026, those 14 beds were occupied for just under a third of the time, while the council continued to pay for the places whether they were used or not.

The arrangement costs the council around £460,000 a year, prompting it to question whether this represents the best use of public money.

A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said: “The review of future care needs found that demand for residential care and nursing places at Henry Cornish Care Centre is lower than expected and has reduced over time, leading to a significant number of empty places.

“Henry Cornish Care Centre has not been able to attract residents who require nursing and who fund their own care despite several initiatives.

“In addition, the review found that the home has higher running costs than similar homes due to the layout of the home and nursing costs. These factors both impact the financial sustainability of the home.”

The county council considered whether the home could be adapted but concluded there was limited scope to make changes that would make best use of the facility.

It says other care homes in the Chipping Norton area have places available and could support residents to remain in the local community.

Oxfordshire County Council is considering six options for the future of the Henry Cornish Care Centre and 15 other Oxfordshire Care Partnership (OCP) homes around the county.

These range from keeping all homes open with no changes, to keeping them open while reducing costs. Other options involve closing two homes, or closing all six older homes, with the possibility of changing the types of care places available at the others to better meet future demand.

However, the council’s preferred option is to close two homes – Chipping Norton’s Henry Cornish Care Centre and Townsend House in Oxford – and change the types of care places provided at the remaining homes.

The council says this would make better use of public money and ensure care places better reflect future demand, while reducing the number of residents who would need to move.

The proposed closure of the home has caused concern among many Chipping Norton residents, who have raised questions over what will happen to residents and staff, the future of the building and where older and vulnerable people will receive care within their own community.

Local businessman and husband of the home’s registered manager, James Beadle, has set up a petition calling on residents to question the proposed closure.

Mr Beadle, operations manager at Trev Beadle Family Butchers, is also asking residents to contact their local councillors and ask them to challenge the closure.

He said: “As a Chipping Norton businessman and former local firefighter, I know first-hand just how important community is. To hear that Henry Cornish Care Centre could potentially close is deeply concerning and could have a devastating impact on our town, its residents and the dedicated people who work there.

“The potential closure could leave local residents facing the loss of their home and put more than 50 local jobs at risk. These are real people, families and livelihoods, and we cannot underestimate what this could mean for Chipping Norton and the wider community.

“Now is the time for our community to stand together and support the people who have spent their lives caring for others. I would urge everyone who shares these concerns to make their voice heard by signing my petition and submitting their views to Oxfordshire County Council’s consultation.”

Mr Beadle is asking for 1,000 people to sign the petition so that it will receive appropriate recognition, and is urging people to make their feelings known through the consultation.

He said: “Chipping Norton has always been a community that looks out for its own. We need to come together now and show just how much Henry Cornish Care Centre, its residents and its staff mean to our town.”

The council’s proposal to close the care home has also attracted the attention of Banbury and Chipping Norton MP Sean Woodcock, who says he is “deeply concerned” by the proposed closure.

Mr Woodcock said: “I am deeply concerned by the proposed closure by Oxfordshire County Council of the Henry Cornish Care Centre in Chipping Norton. This is a facility that provides vital care and support, and it is understandable that staff, residents and families are anxious about its future.

“I will be raising these concerns and seeking further information. In the meantime, I urge everyone affected to respond to the consultation and make their views known.”

The public consultation runs from September 9 to October 21, with the council’s cabinet expected to consider the proposal and make a decision on the care home in December.

To view the full public consulation, visit: https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/future-of-henry-cornish-care-centre

To sign the petition, visit: https://www.change.org/p/stop-henry-cornish-care-centre-closure