I think that this issue was covered on Silvertonia but in the current economic climate its worth pointing out again, that even without the ongoing cuts, Silverton is unique amongst the local villages in not having warden controlled accommodation for elderly and disabled people. Thorverton, with half the population of Silverton gas long had warden controllrd housing as has Bradninch which has a similar sized population to ourselves.
Whilst it can be argued that many of the most vunerable in our society have alarm systewms they are no subsitute for a friendly daily check by a warden who can often spot problems before they reach the emergancy stage. It also has to be pointed out thst little of what housing that we have which wasriginally intended for elderly people has been specifically retained for them or adapted or updated. There has been no programme of general refurbishment for the four bungalows in King Street since they were built in the early 1950s.
We face the coming savage round of cuts to local government expenditure from a very low base in comparison to many other parts of England let alone my old stomping ground in the west of scotland. It is to be hoped that in the coming period our local representetives will spend a good deal less time in ego clashes and on nitpicking over planning applications and more on defending and prioritising basic services.
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