CLAIMS that a reduction in the number of sheltered accommodation wardens is putting the elderly at risk have been refuted by council bosses.

The council also denies the wardens are deliberately being ousted so that council tenants will opt for the transfer of housing stock.

However, an insider claims wardens are gradually being moved off sheltered accommodation sites and forced to attend to tenants at other locations.

The Journal has been told that elderly residents are left feeling vulnerable and unable to expect speedy attention in cases of emergency.

The insider claims that it may be no coincidence that the move comes at a time when Salisbury district council is trying to sell off its stock to a housing association.

"Are they trying to coerce these elderly tenants into voting for a sell-off by deliberately making them insecure and unhappy?"

The council, however, says it "strongly refutes" the claim of moving community scheme managers at sheltered accommodation as part of a stock transfer bid.

A council spokeswoman said: "In July 2004, the council's cabinet approved changes to the way we staff the sheltered housing schemes to ensure we could meet the Wiltshire-wide Supporting People objectives.

"The Supporting People programme provides low-level, appropriate housing-related support to people who need it.

"The support is provided in partnership from all agencies and allows people to live more independently.

"Under the Supporting People objectives, services provided without an assessment of need, like traditional sheltered housing, will be replaced by accommodation-based services which provide targeted support.

"The changes cabinet approved included the phasing out of community scheme managers living on-site and this commenced last October and affects all schemes apart from Westwood House in Salisbury and Nadder Close in Tisbury.

"The community scheme managers at those sites remain on-site to develop proposals to provide 'extra care' sheltered housing. All other community scheme managers will be on call during the working week, as at present, to provide care and assistance to those who need it. Every resident living in sheltered schemes will continue to have access and support and assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through the CareConnect control centre.

"Irrespective of how tenants vote in a ballot on transfer stock, these changes have had to be implemented to meet national guidelines."