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SHELTERED housing throughout Mid Argyll is under threat after the withdrawl of more than a quarter of a million pounds of funding.
Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) says it may not be able to fund wardens at its 12 sheltered housing complexes in Argyll and Bute after Argyll and Bute Council stopped its funding stream.
The association is responsible for sheltered housing at McCracken Court in Lochgilphead, Caledonia Court in Ardrishaig, Chalmers Court in Inveraray, Lochgair Place in Tarbert and Wallace Court in Sandbank as well as seven other sites in Argyll and Clyde including Oban and Mull.
ACHA chief executive, Alastair MacGregor, said the service was under threat if the 12 wardens positions are not funded.
He said: ‘The position the association finds itself in is that the local authority has control of the Supporting People budget. Argyll and Bute Council as part of its budget review has decided that it will no longer entertain our applications to the Supporting People fund and we will lose £274,000 per year as of March 31 this year.
‘The service is under threat if the money is removed just like that. That is money that was previously used by the council when it ran the service. We are faced with a massive loss of income. We are unaware of any other association in Argyll and Bute having Supporting People funding totally withdrawn.
‘We have raised the matter with Argyll and Bute Council who have told us they are not going to re-visit their decision. I have asked for their support in a bid for transitional resources from the Scottish Government and we await confirmation of whether or not the council will provide support. We have also raised the matter with Argyll and Bute MSP Jim Mather.’
ACHA took over the running of the 12 sheltered housing complexes in Argyll and Bute in November 2006 after residents voted in support of the housing transfer that year.
In response to the issue, a spokesperson for Argyll and Bute Council said: ‘There is no Supporting People grant available for any organisation to apply for in 2008/09 and ACHA have been advised of this on several occasions.
‘This is due to the fact that the budget available has been reduced by over £700k, mainly through a reduction in money made available to the council in the local government finance settlement.
‘ACHA have a legal agreement with the council which was signed off at the time of the stock transfer in autumn 2006 and which confirmed that SP money would be paid up till the March 31 2008, but there was no guarantee of money thereafter.
‘Due to the reduction in the council’s SP budget for next year the available money has to be provided to those organizations that the council has an ongoing commitment to support.’
She added: ‘The decision was taken as part of the budget setting process for 2008/09.’
