Yvonne Hossacks, the lawyer acting for a number of sheltered housing residents in Barnet and other areas, has succeeded in her motion for a judicial review of Barnet council's decision to axe its sheltered housing wardens. This means at least a delay in the axing of the wardens, because the council cannot now terminate the contracts for the existing service when it wanted to.
It also means that sheltered housing, as it deserves to be, will still be a live issue in the run-up to the next local - and general - election.
Congratulations to David Young and all the other sheltered housing residents in Barnet who have refused to just give up the service they value and rely on. I have been involved, through Barnet Community Campaign, in organising some protests and also want to praise those who have been involved in those.
Sheltered housing is an important, but only one of the areas of public services that are coming under attack and which will come under attack in the coming months and years. We have got to mobilise many more people in the defence of their services. The tenacity and imagination of David and his comrades (if I can call them that) in the campaign to defend their warden service is a great example of where we all need to be heading.
Times report of the judicial review here.
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The council should not forget the lesson of Underhill. In 2002, the then Labour Administration tried to do a deal with the football club to build a second stadium on green belt land. Alan Williams totally underestimated the strength of local opposition. Labour voters switched sides and the Conservatives won 2 seats in the ward, which was enough to give them control of the council.
If the Conservatives do not abandon this stupid policy to scrap the wardens now, they will similarly see many of their traditional supporters desert them in May.
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