A campaign has been launched to reinstate wardens in council housing blocks and sheltered housing. David Mowat, an outreach worker in Barton Hill who has worked in the community for over 30 years, believes tensions could be averted and housing issues resolved with residential support.
Mr Mowat, who plans on bringing a petition to Bristol City Council next month, is particularly concerned about the issues arising from the loss of live-in wardens in sheltered accommodation. Mr Mowat said that, in Bristol, the council changed the rules surrounding sheltered accommodation to lower the age limit to 50 as a way of tackling the housing crisis and removed live-in wardens at the same time.
While many council housing blocks still have caretakers, previously they had wider responsibilities. Although in Bristol fire wardens have recently been employed to patrol high rise council buildings amid safety concerns, they are not trained in supporting residents with wider safety issues or specific housing concerns.
