Residents continue the fight for Crescent Court

The group criticised the Council for the recent Housing Needs Survey which was meant to gather views of residents.

According to the group, who run a website campaigning against closure of the sheltered housing, the survey was difficult to complete and not delivered to a large number of houses, and they say ‘getting information out of the Council seems to be even more difficult than getting blood out of a stone’.

Doug Dix, who leads the campaign group, said: “We are in limbo at the moment, waiting for things to happen. We are doing our best to get the best results for the village but at the moment all we can do is wait for more information and continue with our petition, which is going very well.”

A leaflet from the group said; “We don’t have a clear picture of what other ‘information gathering’ there will be and the Council is currently ignoring our request to sit down and talk about what’s happening.”

The Council is reviewing the sheltered housing it is responsible for, including Crescent Court, to assess the ‘sutability and viability’ of the accommodation, including whether it meets ‘modern mobility standards’.

Residents are concered that if the unit closed, elderly people who needed to move to sheltered accommodation would no longer be able to remain in the village.

Councillor Carole Hegley, Executive Member for Social Care, Health and Housing said: “In recent months we have been gathering information from various sources to help develop options for the future Crescent Court. As part of this research all households in Toddington, Chalton and Chalgrave have received a housing needs survey.”

The survey had a 20% response rate from the 1800 households surveyed.

Councillor Hegley said: “We will be formally seeking the views of Crescent Court tenants, their families and the wider community on these options during October and November.

“We have appointed an independent tenants advisor to act on their behalf, providing impartial scrutiny and guidance to tenants during this process and are continuing to engage with the wider community through newsletters and meetings.”

To sign the petition to keep Crescent Court open, go to www.friendsofcrescentcourt.org.uk.