I am so glad that the local branch of UNISON is happy that Hartlepool Borough Council is seeking assurance from the Clinical Commissioning Group that the elderly of Hartlepool are going to be well looked after (Mail, September 24).

He went on to say: “We need to ensure that people can be cared for with dignity and respect in their communities.”

An officer-led task group has now been set up to explore ways the council could have a more direct role in providing services for older people, from care in people’s own homes to residential.

For Coun Thomas’s information, the council had a home in Wynyard Road which provided residential care for the elderly.

What happened?

The residents were evicted (told to leave).

The council then refurbished the home at great expense and turned the building into council offices.

Could Coun Thomas tell me through the pages of this newspaper exactly how many care homes the council currently runs.

Also how many care homes which were run by the council have been closed down within the past 10 years.

Talking of looking after the elderly, two elderly friends of mine recently went on a cruise around the Canary Islands.

They had their own en-suite room, doctors and nurses on call 24/7, stewards to call on if they needed anything, seven restaurants to choose from, five-course meals, entertainment every night and they even got to go on days out ashore.

The total cost to them was £480 each a week.

Local care homes offer none of the aforementioned, yet charge £600-£800 per week per resident.

Perhaps the officer-led council task group should pay a visit to P&O or Fred Olsen Lines and see how they do it.

Edward Powell,

Birchill Gardens,

Hartlepool.