A BLEAK future awaits two disabled pensioners who - for the sake of £11 a day - will be homeless when their retirement home closes next week.

Both wheelchair-bound, Nellie Jackson, 96, and 78-year-old great-grandmother-of-six Joan McGarry will be left behind when their care home at Earls Court finally closes and their friends leave for the new £5.4m "Golden Village".

The two old ladies will wave farewell to their pals as they begin their new lives in the state-of-the-art complex while they remain at the Earlsway home on The Weston before they are moved into temporary care.

Their uncertain fate - brought about by Cheshire County Council's (CCC) refusal to pay the extra £77 a week charged by CLS Care Services - has sparked outrage in their family, charities and MP Sir Nicholas Winterton.

Widows Nellie and Joan heard about the victory by Trinity Court pensioner, 82-year-old dementia patient Eric Brocklehurst, who was in the same position a fortnight ago until CCC reassessed him.

So they are now confused as to why they are the exception, with 21 of their fellow Earls Court residents going to "Belong", while they will be shipped to a county council-run 40-bed community support centre at Hollins View on Clarke Terrace, off Byron Street, in Macclesfield.

However, CCC say that Eric was different, while between them, Nellie and Joan have heart problems, diabetes, and are wheelchairbound - but they do not have dementia.

A CCC spokesman said: "With regards to these two ladies, they are assessed as having general residential needs and we are working very hard with their families to find them alternative accommodation in the Macclesfield area.

"We have a scale for those who have general residential care and the scale for people with dementia has been agreed with CLS and there is no dispute about that. The funding scale for people who are elderly and mentally ill is obviously different as they have special needs."

Meanwhile, county councillor Ken Edwards admitted CLS and the council have been engaged in a "ping-pong battle".

At a Weston Estate Community Development Group meeting, he said: "It was and is a painful situation and has caused a lot of upset for a vulnerable part of our community.

"CCC have made it clear to the management of all their homes that if there is to be any negotiation it is to be done privately and jointly rather than involve them in a ping-pong battle. That is what it must have felt like if you were a resident. The way it was done should never be repeated."

But so far, his promise has not helped Nellie, who has been in care at Earls Court for nine years, and has no family in the area. She said: "I was so looking forward to going with all my friends. I was excited, but now I just feel scared that I don't know where I will live."

The ex-Macclesfield Hospital laundry worker, who used to live on Brock Street, has breathing and heart problems, and can't walk.

She added: "They say they won't allow me any more money but I don't understand, we were all going to stay together and it sounded so nice. I was pleased when Eric got his place, but how are we any different?"

Ex-secretary and bingo fanatic Joan, a diabetic who is recovering from four strokes, added: "It is so sad, I just can't understand how it's happened."

The ex-Ivy Meade Road resident, whose husband, Bill, died ten years ago, added: "I am so disappointed."

Nellie and Joan were told places had been reserved for them at the new care home, but that was before they realised neither CCC nor their families could afford to pay for them.

Neither can the duo stay where they are because Earls Court is closing.

Joan's sister, Hilda Moses, 73, of Moss Square, added: "We do want to help her but we just can't afford it with our pensions, and hers won't stretch. We are at a loss because we know how much it meant to her - it's devastating."

A CLS Care Services spokesman said: "Cheshire County Council do not seem to recognise that the standard of care at the village will be much higher than it is now. In the case of Eric they reassesed him at a higher level, so it is up to them in these cases as well."

Member of Solicitors for the Elderly, Justine Littlemore, a partner at SAS Daniels, Macclesfield, said: "This is just so sad. I think it's appalling that elderly people can be in this situation. I don't think many realise they can seek legal help and I don't know what the council expect them to do, but I think they should definitely be allowed to go to Belong."

Madelyn Bridge, chief executive of Age Concern East Cheshire, said: "We are glad that a satisfactory conclusion has been reached for some residents, and our information and advice service is continuing to work with people still facing uncertainty.

"We hope that an agreement can quickly be reached by all parties to meet the needs of those who continue to be affected by this situation, so that they can continue to live in a home in the area of their choice, close to family and friends."

MP Sir Nicholas Winterton said: "I am disgusted and outraged about this situation, that the elderly and their families are suffering because of a problem between social services and CLS is utterly unacceptable.

"I have asked Nick Dykes, chief executive of CLS, to explain this situation in full, and explain the problems he is encountering with the council. These elderly people are really stuck between a rock and a hard place and they are suffering because of it - but I will keep fighting."