Rejoice, Rejoice - Barnet Council drops sheltered housing appeal

The Hendon Times reports that Barnet Council Leader, Lynne Hillan, author of the Sheltered Housing warden cuts, today announced that the Council has abandoned its plans for an appeal. Furthermore, the full cost of wardens will be met by the Council.

I cannot tell you how pleased I am for the elderly and disabled of Barnet. Hats off to David Young, who launched the appeal. On the night of the Cabinet meeting where Barnets Tory Council decided to scrap the wardens, I trudged dejectedly outside, after the decision had been announced. I bumped into Mr Young and his solicitor. They informed me that they were launching the court case and gave me a copy of the letter they had served on Barnet Council informing them of the intention to launch a judicial review. I promised Mr Young that I would place that letter on the blog that night.I pledged to do everything I could for the campaign. I was given renewed hope by Mr Young, that all was not lost.

That letter is the most downloaded item on this blog. Mr Young has set a shining example to all of us as to what you can achieve if you are prepared to fight. Whilst Mr Young deserves all of the credit, there was a huge campaign across Barnet. We marched through the Council Leaders ward, bringing traffic to a halt. We held rallys at Council Meetings. We wrote blogs, letters to the local paper and left comments.

Make no mistake though, the reason Lynne Hillan has dropped the appeal is because there is an election this year and she knows it will damage her bedrock support. She has killed the issue, for this years budget. If you read the article carefully, you will see that she quite clearly indicates that she's planning to try it on again in future.

Pensioners in the twighlight of their lives such as Mr Young, should not have to launch court cases against their own council. When you put your vote in a box, to elect a new council in May, be sure that if you select a Conservative Councillor, you will be voting for Warden cuts, more court cases, due to botched policies, more slapdash management, more potholes in the road, where budgets are cut. If you think Mr Young has had enough aggravation, give Hillan and her cronies a wide berth when you vote.

Tonight, I'm taking my wife and children out to celebrate. We'll toast David Young and his feistyness. I am over the moon for him and all of the other residents in Barnet.