Madam, As a potential senior citizen, I have concerns with the closure of The Chestnuts Retirement Home, which raises many unanswered questions.

I for one would find it horrifying if I ended my days in a similar establishment only to find that there was a possibility of its closure without being given any direct explanation of the reasons why.

The only reason given for the closure appears to be the major rise in rent proposed by Herefordshire County Council. I have reason to believe that The Chestnuts had a very healthy balance sheet with considerable reserves up to 2010, so I would like to know what happened to bring about the closure by August this year.

I feel that now is the time for a full and open review of the causes for the failure at The Chestnuts. We must surely learn the lessons from this situation to avoid any repetition in future.

I call upon the trustees, Ross Town Council and Herefordshire County Council to hold a public review of what went wrong at this very prestigious retirement home.

Patricia Hughes

Wilton