A PUBLIC meeting will be held in Carmarthen over the future of care homes Argel and Tawelan.

Christchurch Hall in Lammas Street, will host the meeting on Monday, March 29, at 7pm, which aims to establish a group to fight the proposed closures of the care homes.

Plaid town and county councillor Arwel Lloyd warned that the town cannot be complacent about the threat of closures.

Carmarthenshire Council is changing the way it looks after the elderly, putting a greater emphasis on helping people to live independently, using sheltered accommodation and home carers.

Both homes in town would close with a form of sheltered accommodation being built on the site of Argel in Llansteffan Road.

A study into all aspects of elderly care, including care homes, is being carried out by a cross-party group of councillors and is expected to last for a further five months.

Plaid town and county councillor Alan Speake said: "We hope families and friends who have been involved with both homes will attend,

"We have invited representatives from the group Save Caemaen and St Paul's Care Homes in Llanelli to attend this meeting also as they have already formed a strong group to fight any possible closures.

"There will always be a need for such homes in our society as people now live much longer and need care. We have a duty to provide this service."

The Carmarthenshire Council Plaid leader also said the meeting had been organised so people can club together over the closures. He hoped that concerns raised at the meeting would be fed back into the council's study into elderly care.

Carmarthenshire Council spokeswoman Debbie Williams said views from the meeting would be taken into account by the authority.

However, the Plaid-organised meeting has been branded as going against the cross-party study by social care executive board member, Labour Councillor Pat Jones.

She said: "Plaid have members in the group doing the study and they voted to set it up.

"Now they are pre-empting the work of this group and have already made up their minds, no matter what the group finds they will not consider any information unless it supports their political agenda."