Angus sheltered housing residents fighting to save “lifeline” services have handed over a petition with nearly 2,000 signatures.
Councillor David Fairweather received the petition from residents at Andy Stewart Court in Arbroath and will take it directly to the local authority.
Site wardens and community lounges are thought to be under threat as services could move in line with the controversial self-directed support model.
Mr Fairweather said: “I’ve been involved from the start and I am backing the residents to the hilt.
“They are extremely concerned at the prospect of losing their wardens and community lounges, and I want to try to make sure that is something that is not going to happen.
“Over 1,900 people have signed the petition, which is a fantastic response when you consider it was the elderly people who went out and got signatures themselves.
“It also shows the general public are in complete support of the residents.
“The wardens are there for the benefit of people who are vulnerable and elderly.We hope to persuade the council that taking them away would be more than folly.”
Beatrice Gerrard, 74, from Andy Stewart Court, said residents have made it known in no uncertain terms that they don’t want change.
She said: “Residents from sheltered housing complexes across Angus have got together to sign this petition.
“Everyone is saying the same thing hands off our wardens and our community lounges.
“The council might have thought we’d go away quietly but we’re not going to stop fighting.”
Self-directed support has been introduced to give people “more choice and control over their support provision, so people can get the support they need at home, rather than having to move to get it”.
Angus Council has been consulting with its sheltered housing tenants to “find out what they like and dislike about sheltered housing, to talk about costs and benefits, and to get their views on what the service should look like”.
Tenants were asked to fill in a survey and staff have been meeting tenants in their own complexes to find out what they think.
Residents have claimed the changes are already a done deal and therefore the consultation process is simply a box-ticking exercise.
But the council has stressed that all opinions will be taken into account as it analyses changes in how older people want to live.
Angus Against Cuts has organised a protest against the proposed changes at the council’s next full meeting on December 10.