POLITICS, LOCALITY AND RESOURCES - NEGOTIATING A COMMUNITY CARE SCHEME

This paper is concerned with the establishment of a pilot community ca re scheme in York, the Scarcroft Project. Based largely on the princip les outlined in the Griffiths Report, the project was established by N orth Yorkshire Social Services Department to develop and coordinate se rvices for elderly people in an area of York. The initiative is multi- disciplinary in its approach and also involves York Health Authority, York City Council and Age Concern, York. Drawing on recent sociologica l analyses concerned with conceptualising localities this paper will s how that the decision to close an elderly persons' home and reinvest t he revenue in community care was the result of a process of compromise and negotiation between service providers and politicians concerned w ith the allocation of resources at local level. This in turn is discus sed in terms of the implications for consumer involvement in community care.