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I have expressed my concern about threats, reported in the Evening Telegraph, to the future of Sheltered Housing lounges in the city. I am seeking an urgent update from housing officers about this threat.
Sheltered lounges are an excellent resource for many older people in our city. I accept that they need to move with the times and deliver activities which appeal to local sheltered residents. I do not think that we should even be considering wide-spread closures. In the past week in lounges in my ward I have heard about new activities starting up such as carpet bowls and snooker and also seen an extensive programme of special events for the rest of the year in one lounge. I know that wardens work very hard to deliver a service to those who need it.'
I presume that these proposals come from the secretive 'Changing for the Future Board'. In the last week this board has suggested changes to education which would take us back to policies dating from 1972. It really should be called the Back to the Future Board. Only the intervention of teaching unions has alleviated the worst excesses of that proposal. The Labour group has been calling for this board to operate in an open and transparent manner and to involve both staff and service users in deliberations. In the case of Sheltered Lounges this must happen; let's hear what service users think, let's hear what staff and trade unions in the frontline think. What is there to fear? We should be looking to improve the service not close it.
There are many aspects of the service offered by sheltered wardens and sheltered lounges which are not easy to quantify in monetary terms but which make a huge difference to our city. During the recent snow sheltered wardens were unsung heroes making sure that vulnerable people were safe and warm and that they had food.
Any decisions about sheltered lounges would need to consider a wide range of issues and look at the knock-on effects of any changes. This would need to consider the whole range of public services including the health service.
Sheltered lounges are an excellent resource for many older people in our city. I accept that they need to move with the times and deliver activities which appeal to local sheltered residents. I do not think that we should even be considering wide-spread closures. In the past week in lounges in my ward I have heard about new activities starting up such as carpet bowls and snooker and also seen an extensive programme of special events for the rest of the year in one lounge. I know that wardens work very hard to deliver a service to those who need it.'
I presume that these proposals come from the secretive 'Changing for the Future Board'. In the last week this board has suggested changes to education which would take us back to policies dating from 1972. It really should be called the Back to the Future Board. Only the intervention of teaching unions has alleviated the worst excesses of that proposal. The Labour group has been calling for this board to operate in an open and transparent manner and to involve both staff and service users in deliberations. In the case of Sheltered Lounges this must happen; let's hear what service users think, let's hear what staff and trade unions in the frontline think. What is there to fear? We should be looking to improve the service not close it.
There are many aspects of the service offered by sheltered wardens and sheltered lounges which are not easy to quantify in monetary terms but which make a huge difference to our city. During the recent snow sheltered wardens were unsung heroes making sure that vulnerable people were safe and warm and that they had food.
Any decisions about sheltered lounges would need to consider a wide range of issues and look at the knock-on effects of any changes. This would need to consider the whole range of public services including the health service.
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