5:30pm Tuesday 2nd September 2008
By Emma Clark
THE future of hundreds of elderly people in the district will be discussed by councillors in private tonight.
The decision whether to continue with plans to move sheltered housing residents into housing association homes will be made at a full cabinet meeting this evening, following the results of a pilot consultation.
Plans to sell the housing was first announced last year but were put on hold when the council admitted to handling the consultation badly and leader Robert Donald apologised to fearful residents.
Councillors will be updated on the outcome of a recent consultation at Eric Steele House in Grovelands, Park Street, and decide how to go forward with the plans in the second part of the meeting which excludes the public and press.
Labour councillor Roma Mills, who has seen the cabinet’s proposals, said: “We had petitions in last year for residents and tenants saying they value their homes and want to stay there and my impression is this is just the same as the proposals put forward last year.
“No doubt it’s caused more anxiety and concern to the tenants who may well find their homes are scheduled for closure.
“I wanted the cabinet to involve residents and I don’t think their concerns have been listened to.”
In October last year St Albans District Council announced it needed to sell the housing because it was not modern enough but could not afford the refurbishment.
Residents were asked to vote on two options – to either move to a housing association one block at a time or to transfer blocks to housing association as they become empty, although under the second option residents could still be forced to move once the housing block becomes half empty. Many residents complained of being kept in the dark and some elder residents were scared of moving home at their age.
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