A disabled man will be stripped of his food choice, independence and social life by Cheshire East's decision to close the meals service where he lives, his sister has said.

Robert Turner, 58, suffered a stroke at the age of 52 and is in a wheelchair, paralysed down one side.

He has carer visits four times a day – an hour at breakfast time to get him up from his hospital-style bed and ready for the day, 15 minutes at lunchtime, 30 minutes in the evening and again at night time when the carer gets him ready for bed.

The main highlight of Robert's day is visiting the restaurant at Oakmere Extra Care in Handforth, where he has lived for the past two years.

But next month Cheshire East is closing the restaurant, which is run by its school meals catering service, because the service is making a loss.

As an interim measure, residents will be able to order hot meals from Knutsford-based charity The Welcome, and have them delivered, Monday to Friday, until the end of May.

To cover the weekends, the meals will be delivered on a Friday and residents – many of them frail and disabled, some with dementia – will have to re-heat them themselves.

Some of the residents at Oakmere in Handforth who will be affected by the closure of their restaurant (Belinda Ryan, LDRS).

Robert's sister, Jennifer Mitchell, said: "Robert's quite capable to come downstairs in his wheelchair for lunch.

"The care staff meet him here, he chooses what he wants, the staff sit him down, cut if up for him and leave him to it pretty much."

She said before moving to Oakmere, Robert was in a care home where he had no choice over what he had to eat and was very unhappy.

"The reason we moved him in here was because this provision was excellent and it was easy for him to nip down, choose what he wants for his meals," she said.

"The fact Oakmere had a restaurant was key.

"The restaurant staff here are great. Because they know him, if he doesn't want something from the menu, they'll say do you want a jacket potato or chips and sausage and they'll cook it.

"He is not going to have that, that choice has been taken away."

She added: "It's the social thing as well. He potters down, he sees the staff. All of that's gone."

Cheshire East Council made the decision to close the restaurant, which is run by its school meals catering service, because the service is making a loss (Google).

Jennifer works full-time and part-funds her brother's care and other costs.

She said his care costs have increased by £200 a month this year.

That will rise again if a carer has to re-heat his meals and wash up, because she will have to extend the 15-minute lunchtime call.

Jennifer said, to give Robert more choice, she could cook the meals at her house and freeze them for him.

"But then again someone has got to heat it up," she said.

"He's paralysed down one side. He can't use an oven, he can barely stand."

Cheshire East Council says it is subsiding the meals at Oakmere to the tune of almost £57,000 a year.

At a recent meeting of the adults and health committee, Helen Charlesworth-May, executive director of adults, health and integration, said: "There is absolutely no reason why the council should subsidise some people's meals simply because they live in an extra care setting rather than living in another form of accommodation."

This sparked outrage among the elderly residents at Oakmere who said they had never asked for their meals to be subsidised, they didn't even know they were until the council planned to close the service and they were prepared to pay more to keep it open but weren't given that option.

Jennifer said: "What Helen Charlesworth-May said was appalling. It's unbelievable. She ought to come and see what it's like for some people."