THE councillor responsible for social care in Oxfordshire has called for calm after the collapse of care home provider Southern Cross, which ceased trading yesterday.

Plans are in place to move pensioners to other homes if the firm’s six Oxfordshire homes are forced to close, but Arash Fatemian said the company was working with its landlords and other providers to take over running them.

He said: “We are a long way off having to put contingency plans in place.”

The six homes are Brookfield in Greater Leys, The Albany in Headington, The Crown in Harwell, The Triangle in Wheatley, Longlands in Cassington and Mill House in Witney.

There are 223 beds in Southern Cross homes in Oxfordshire.

Residents or families with questions about Southern Cross can contact Oxfordshire County Council’s Social and Health Care Team on 0845 050 7666.