wardens

More on sheltered housing warden cuts in Barnet - an example of the sort of Tory public service cuts we'll see more and more:

We go now to a tall, brutalist council building in Barnet's Totteridge and Whetstone, where yours truly is holed up at a cabinet meeting in a large committee room, watching Cllr Mike Freer, the spiritual void who runs Barnet council, brush aside the concerns of elderly sheltered housing residents who are about lose their cherished onsite warden service in Freer's latest cost-cutting wheeze.  

As reported here recently, Barnet council and its financial team - that group of fiscal legends best known for investing (riskily) £27m in Icelandic banks, where the whole pile tanked - claim they need to find £12m in savings to balance books compromised by inadequate central government settlements (ie, it's Labour's fault - a point that Labour rubbishes, for what it's worth), inflation, and a desire to keep council tax increases below three percent as local and national elections loom.

The council believes it can save £950,000 (re-forecast to £400,000 in a rapidly revised proposal for this evening's meeting) by removing onsite residential wardens (whose tasks include dealing with health and security emergencies, organising GP visits, organising social activities, and checking on residents at least once a day) from sheltered housing scheme. They'd be replaced with a ‘floating’ support service where support workers based at hubs would visit elderly people who met eligibility criteria.

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It's a proposal that sheltered housing residents hate and have complained bitterly about since it was announced. Many feel that tonight's their last shot at putting cabinet members off. That's why hundreds of residents and their family members have turned up to this cabinet meeting to fight the mighty Freer.

Alas - Freer is unmoved before the hordes.

In a 'prearranged answers to questions from residents' session - with unarranged audience cries of 'have you got a mother?' and 'what about all the money you threw away in Iceland?' and 'I'm going to hold you personally responsible for my mother's health' ringing round the room - the disdainful Freer lays out the council's case for forcing residents to give up the wardens they trust and depend on.

And now over at LC with the sheltered housing story.

There will be another protest in Barnet at the council's plans to cut the sheltered housing warden service soon. Will post location details, etc, as soon as I have them.