Joan Bakewell takes sheltered housing wardens funding fight to Westminster

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing

Dame Joan Bakewell joined pensioners today in a demonstration against council cuts to the number of sheltered housing wardens.

Elderly protesters gathered on Parliament Square in Westminster waving placards stating "Save Our Wardens" and "Defend Sheltered Housing".

About 100 demonstrators, some in wheelchairs, slowly marched down Whitehall to Downing Street chanting "justice for the elderly".

Broadcaster Dame Joan then joined a small delegation of pensioners to deliver a letter of protest to Prime Minister Gordon Brown setting out their grievances and calling for change.

Campaigners claim the Government's removal of the ringfence from the Supporting People funding given to councils to pay for sheltered housing wardens has led to cuts in local warden services.

They said on-site wardens helped the elderly with security, health and social needs and provided a rapid response in emergencies.

They added that their removal and replacement with floating wardens was having a negative impact on frail residents and leading to more money being spent on health and social services to fill the gap left by wardens.

Before delivering the letter, Dame Joan said: "People have written to me in great numbers and I am responding to them.

"Everyone is concerned that this is a lessening of care to withdraw wardens and put in place another type of care.

"They feel very concerned and have a legitimate reason to complain."

She added: "It is really important for elderly people to be heard. Elderly people often feel invisible in society and find it difficult to make their voices heard.

"I wanted to lead this delegation to make sure somebody listens."

Protest organiser David Young, 78, who is chairman of the UK Pensioners Strategy Committee, branded the loss of wardens a "retrograde step".

Among those demonstrating was Ken Evans, 77, who lives with his wife Rosemary, 75, at Kingsley Court in Edgware, north London.

He said: "The warden is the mainstay of the building, they look after anybody and everybody.

"The impact of introducing mobile wardens will be devastating. People are going to have accidents and the wardens are not going to attend to them."

Violet Humphreys, 77, who lives at The Oysters in Whitstable, Kent,
said: "You hope that you can have a warden that can help us all the time.

"We need someone who we can go to if something goes wrong. If they are going to stop it then we are back to square one."

Vernon Yarker, chairman of the Sheltered Housing UK Association, who was also present at the march, said: "We want to retain the wardens in sheltered housing.

"All over the country wardens are being removed from sheltered housing and being replaced by mobile staff.

"This has led to concern, distress and dismay by the residents, many of whom sold their homes to move into sheltered housing because it had a warden. They now feel that they are being cheated and sidelined because of their age by the Government."

Joe Oldman, of Age UK, said: "We are 100% behind the residents who have organised this demonstration. We think, for existing residents, it is completely unacceptable that services are being withdrawn.

"A lot of people move into sheltered housing on the understanding there will be a warden. To remove them without a debate is just not on."

A spokeswoman for the Department of Communities and Local Government said it was a decision for councils to allocate funding.

She said: "Councils have benefited from £1.6 billion this year alone through the Supporting People programme to help vulnerable people to live independently, including older people.

"This money is available to use as councils see fit to meet local needs and priorities and a recent report showed that this flexibility leads to improved services for vulnerable groups and better value for money.

"Removing the ringfence from Supporting People builds on the flexibility we have already given 127 councils to provide these services and move Supporting People funding into wider welfare provision.

"Local authorities will continue to be assessed on their housing support performance through the Comprehensive Area Assessment.

"Any change to the service provided, including any move away from residential wardens and towards a system of floating support, is a decision for the individual council concerned.

"However, we have made clear that any changes should only be implemented after meaningful consultation with residents."

David Rogers, chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, warned that the current warden system was "not sustainable".

He said: "Much of Britain's ageing population is in robust health, but sadly the same cannot be said of the funding system which exists to look after people when they do become frail or unwell.

"The number of over-65s in England is expected to increase by more than three million in the next 15 years but the money to care for them is not keeping up.

"Councils would love to be able to give extensive, personal support to every one of their residents. Sadly funds for adult social care are not limitless and decisions have to be made about how the money can be used most effectively."

He added: "Sheltered housing schemes are becoming rarer. Increasingly the level of care they provide can be offered more efficiently by keeping people in their own homes and using telecare gadgets to make sure they are safe and well, supported by visits from social care staff.

"Few people like change, but the current system of caring for older people is not sustainable.

"The question of how we look after a growing number of elderly people is being addressed by local and national politicians at the moment, and anyone can have their say as part of an online debate which has been launched by the Department of Health."