Campaigners are planning to lobby councillors over plans to hand over control of Oxfordshire's care homes for the elderly to a charity.

The rally on Thursday outside County Hall in Oxford is being organised by the Oxon Homes for Older People Action Group.

The county council plans to hand over the running of the 11 homes to the Orders of St John Trust, a non profit-making group. It has said that it does not have the £20m needed to bring them up to strict new Government standards for bedroom sizes and wheelchair access. Any that fail to do so must close by 2007.

Jacky Pendleton-Byron, co-chairman of OPAG, said: "The track record for privatised care homes nationally is that standards of care fall and wages fall. If quality of staff falls, then quality of care will follow suit.

She added circumstances had changed since the decision was taken and it was now more likely that the council could find ways to fund the service. She said: "We hope to get more councillors to think again."

The council's homes for older people sub-committee will discuss the issue again tomorrow, but Nick Welch, assistant social services director, said: "I think it is extremely unlikely members will see an alternative."