Parish Council passes campaign resolutions on Grisedale Croft
Tuesday 28 April 2026
At well attended emergency meeting this evening, Alston Moor Parish Council unanimously passed all fourteen resolutions setting out its position and campaign in response to Westmorland and Furness Council’s public consultation on the future of Grisedale Croft Care Home.
The Parish Council’s position is clear. We oppose any closure of Grisedale Croft unless and until a legally-binding, fully-funded and operational alternative — providing equivalent residential, dementia, respite and re-ablement provision — is confirmed in advance and located within Alston Moor. Grisedale Croft is the last surviving element of the joint NHS-and-Council replacement package promised to this community in 2017–2018 when the inpatient beds at the Ruth Lancaster James Hospital were closed, and any decision on its future must be taken jointly with NHS partners.
The Council has established a Grisedale Croft Working Group whose task is to build the case for keeping the home open. The Working Group will be reviewing the information and evidence received in response to the formal Freedom of Information requests already submitted to Westmorland and Furness Council, the NHS bodies involved, and other relevant organisations, and will use that evidence to prepare the Parish Council’s formal consultation response. A petition will follow shortly, and public meetings will be held in Alston, Garrigill and Nenthead during the consultation period.
Help us build the evidence base — please complete our online form
We are gathering evidence about people from Alston Moor and the surrounding area who, in recent years, have needed residential, nursing, respite or rehabilitation care but were not placed at Grisedale Croft. If this happened to a member of your family — or someone you know — please tell us about it using our short online form: https://forms.gle/cUqh6XVT6CxLSfSf6
Every response strengthens our case. The information will be held confidentially and used only in support of the Parish Council’s consultation response.
A full Public Briefing setting out the background, the 2018 commitment, and the Council’s response is attached to this notice. Residents are warmly encouraged to read it, talk to their neighbours about it, and — most importantly — submit their own response to the consultation when it opens. Individual responses from residents matter enormously, and the Parish Council will be providing guidance on how to make them in the days ahead.
We will keep this page updated as the campaign develops.
(Image thanks to Simon Danby)