Council's response to sheltered housing warden fears branded digusting

Sheltered housing residents demanding full-time wardens have rejected a Swindon Borough Council offer of meetings.

The residents demanded a large public meeting, including family carers, health workers and the press, with plenty of notice so they could organise it. 

However, the council has sent letters saying meetings will be held at each housing scheme, restricted to 12 people including council officers, with officials also knocking on doors for one-to-one discussions. 

Viv Hanks, a resident at Charles MacPherson Gardens, said: "It’s disgusting! They are doing exactly what they want to do, not what we want. Doing it this way is divide and conquer. Some residents are too shy or frightened to speak up one-to-one. We want the council to to face us as a group."

Last week, the sheltered housing residents disrupted a full council meeting and protested outside to get full-time wardens reinstated, which they say is vital for safety and security. 

The Chair of the Tenants Association of Sheltered Housing (TASH), and a resident at George Hall Court have written a letter to the council saying: "We want a meeting with all residents and supporters, including translators for the Nepalese residents and advocates for the learning disabled and other vulnerable residents.

"Not in their flats behind closed doors where they can be intimidated and where there is no record of what is happening or said. We want the press there at the publicly open residents' communal lounge meeting with SBC on record! This is not acceptable."

Community union ACORN has been co-ordinating the 'Save Our Wardens’ campaign with residents and members.

Member Jon Timbrell said: "Working collectively across the sheltered housing schemes in Swindon run by the council, has stopped the council burying residents’ concerns. The council are trying to break the residents into small groups. ACORN will be asking residents to keep a record of what is said and feed back to the campaign."

Mr Timbrell accused the council of reneging on their promise to residents of a public meeting and pleged that residents would organise one themselves.

Keith Andrew, a resident at Salzgitter Court and TASH representative, wrote a letter to the council.

He said: "I think this is another attempt, by the Officers of Swindon Borough Council Housing department, to adjust the individual residents' answers and comments, to be in line with the thinking of the Officers.

"I draw this conclusion from the reversal of the figures from the TASH committee meeting, where the TASH committee members voted 11 to 1 against the Sheltered housing review, but when the review was put before the Cabinet, the figures were reversed!

"It is this conduct of consultations and the presenting of the so-called results, that prompted the residents to call for a public meeting with the media present.

"The meetings that the SBC are going to hold, is not what the residents requested.

"You are taking residents' views in private, which means their answers can be reworded to suit your views.

"This is the very reason we requested a public meeting."