Southampton elderly launch campaign to keep ‘lifelines’

Now campaigners say the lives of hundreds of pensioners are being put at risk over plans to axe their live-in wardens.

Resident wardens at sheltered blocks across Southampton could all be replaced with visits from teams of off-site helpers.

Tenants at one housing block in the city have already launched a protest campaign in a bid to stop the move.

Southampton City Council is proposing a shake-up of the way it spends about £1.6m of Government cash to provide housing help to elderly people.

Currently the authority hands over the cash to its own housing department and a dozen housing associations and charities who use it to fund resident wardens.

But after the Government announced a cut in funding, the city is now proposing to offer support to residents no matter where they live by carving up the city into three or five zones and inviting organisations, including themselves, to bid for contracts to provide help through office-based teams.