Barnet Tories : Kick a granny for Christmas and win a promotion and a payrise

I was at the meeting of the Barnet Council cabinet where new Council Leader, Lynne Hillans policy of removing on-site wardens from sheltered accommodation was approved. I guess Hillan and her cabinet colleagues were too busy slapping each other on the back and saying "Congratulations" to see the number of old ladies who were moved to tears by the decision. Despite the hype, Barnets Tories are replacing every four residential wardens with one "mobile warden", who has to drive across the Borough from site to site. They say this is going to improve the service for the people who live there.

This disgusting policy has landed Barnet Council in the High Court.Rightly so. This whole fiasco has been a massive kick in the teeth for the elderly and the disabled of Barnet. The architect of this policy, Lynne Hillan, has been rewarded by her Tory colleagues with a promotion to Leader of the Council and a fat payrise, she was elected by a majority of her conservative colleagues. Her sidekick, Councillor Andrew Harper told the Barnet Times that he also supports the policy. Her Tory councillor colleagues obviously like it when grannys get kicked by the Council and want more of the same. Shame on them all. I'm pleased to say that the elderly of Barnet are a plucky bunch and have fought back and I hope and I pray that the High Court rules in their favour.

I know from my own experiences with my own, now departed, elderly and disabled mother, that changes such as this are extremely stressful. It is likely that some of the residents will be so stressed by the prospect of losing the familiar face of their building warden, the person who helps them when they are in trouble, that it will kill them. That's why 85% of the residents rejected the plans. That is why David Young (who launched the court case) is fighting it.

I asked a question at the cabinet meeting where the policy was approved. I asked whether a risk assessment had been done for the removal of the Wardens from the boroughs eldelry and disabled. The then Council Leader replied "yes, it's half a page long". That's all they think our parents and grandparents in Sheltered accommodation warrant.

I was going to post a nice cheerful end of the week blog, till I read the story that the warden cuts verdict has been deferred till next week. I'm sorry to say that, it darkened my mood and you got this instead, happy can wait.