Angus Council is up “against the clock” in its efforts to sort out the thorny issue of the area’s tenancy support provision, a councillor has warned.
Just days after the authority agreed a budget saving of £500,000 which will see the current tenancy support officer (TSO) complement reduced by 28 staff by July 1 to make way for a new service arrangement, Montrose independent Mark Salmond has also said lessons must be learned by the council over the handling of the controversial changes.
Opposition councillor Mr Salmond is a member of the new Member/Officer Group (MOG) set up to honour the council’s commitment to maintain TSOs in Angus.
The current set-up cannot continue under Self Directed Support rules and the authority is now investigating ways of providing a support service through the options of either an external organisation such as a social enterprise, an arm’s length trading organisation or a council scheme fully-funded by sheltered housing tenants.
The process has led to a number of tenants’ protests, however, and a meeting last week which saw TSOs told they are being served with risk of redundancy notices, reducing some to tears, and led to claims that morale among them is at “rock bottom”.
Following his MOG appointment, Mr Salmond said: “All 28 Angus councillors unanimously agreed to the amendment that TSO services are maintained in Angus Council sheltered housing complexes, and membership of this group will allow me to ensure that a robust and workable solution is achieved to maintain this vital service for our elderly residents”
“The new working group met immediately after the last full council and a process has been agreed to move this issue forward in a speedy but positive manner.
“All members are aware that we are up against the clock with a deadline of July 1 to have a new service in place.”
He also said that eight opposition councillors had met senior officers last week to raise their concerns about how staff briefings had been handled and seek a reassurance that lessons would be learned in the wake of staff criticisms.
Mr Salmond continued: “One of the biggest criticisms raised with me during the campaign to save TSOs was the lack of a communication strategy for residents and staff by Angus Council.
“This resulted in a lot of misunderstandings, confusion and heartache for all concerned.
“I have asked the council’s chief executive to develop and implement a clear strategy for communication with our tenants and staff.
“Moving forward the council needs to be open and transparent with our residents and staff so everyone knows where they stand,” added Mr Salmond.