The Cabinet papers for June’s cabinet meeting have just arrived and they contain a report on the outcome of the consultation into the review of warden provision in sheltered housing schemes. Earlier this year the Conservative administration proposed saving £950,000 by withdrawing site based wardens and removing alarm systems from residents who did not meet certain criteria.

The ‘consultation’ carried out by the Council showed that a massive 88% of those consulted disagreed with the proposals to some extent with 81% strongly disagreeing with the proposals. The paper to cabinet outlines 4 options, option 1 being to proceed with the original plan and Option 4 being to leave things as they are now. Options 2 and Option 3 tinker with the number of people who would still get an alarm service and how that service would be provided.

The recommendation before cabinet is to go for Option 3. This option would retain the alarm system for all residents of sheltered housing but the site based wardens would be lost and replaced by a ‘hub’ based system. Option 3 amounts to a cut of £400,000 (known as efficiencies in council speak).

Whilst the retention of the alarm system is welcome this options does not recognise the fundamental value of site based wardens. Having recently had to visit my Aunt in Scotland who is in a sheltered housing scheme I can personally vouch for the value of site based support. Without it my Aunt would be in a nursing home at much greater expense. I really don’t care if the current system does not meet some strategy or target. It works very well and is well liked and valued by residents of sheltered housing schemes. The money can be found for this and I have plenty of suggestions as to where it can be obtained starting with the scrapping of multiple special responsibility allowances for Councillors.