ABOUT three quarters of the town’s old people's wardens are expected to be axed in a massive shake-up of care for the elderly.
The wardens will in effect be replaced by technology, such as portable alarms, in order to meet what council officers say is a changing demand for services.
Many pensioners are said to resent being forced to sign up and pay for visits from wardens, which is currently part of the tenancy agreement when they move into old folk's bungalows.
The move is part of a complete revamp of support for Barnsley’s OAPs and it is due to be discussed at a private meeting of the council's ruling cabinet next week. Council leader Coun Steve Houghton says final decisions have yet to be made and the number of wardens under threat of redundancy is hard to determine.
But a well placed source told the Chronicle that around two thirds of the 144 part-time wardens, who are mainly women, are at risk. They are employed by Berneslai Homes which was set up to manage the council's housing stock.
