WARDEN cuts were defended by councillors tonight as they decided to start the process all over again.

Having had their decision to move existing residential wardens in sheltered housing for the elderly to a mobile service for the wider public quashed by a High Court ruling, councillors at tonight's cabinet meeting showed their appetite for the plan was as strong as ever.

Council leader, Councillor Lynne Hillan said: “It's important to stress that the issue that informed the decision last year remains pertinent today.

“We have many elderly people with far more complex needs than before.

“We have more 85 year olds in the borough than we've ever had before and it's important that we address this.

“More older people than ever wish to remain in their own homes.”

Cllr Hillan said it was important to ensure the most effective service went to those who needed it most and said sheltered housing flats were becoming less desirable and were increasingly harder to let.

The planned changes have proved deeply unpopular, with a concerted campaign launched by the UK Pensioners Strategy Committee, led by Edgware sheltered housing tenant, David Young.

It was this group of residents who took Barnet Council to the High Court, stating that the decision had not lawfully addressed the needs of disabled residents.

But senior councillors have said all along that the cuts will benefit more people in the long run.

Speaking at tonight's meeting in Hendon Town Hall in The Burroughs, deputy leader, Cllr Andrew Harper said: “What we are trying to achieve here is a more equitable distribution among the number of people who need it.”

And he responded to a story posted on the Times Series website this afternoon where 70-year-old disabled sheltered housing resident Marlene Abeygunaratne, of Deborah Lodge in North Road, Edgware, said councillors were not thinking of residents when making their decision.

“That simply isn't true,” he said. “Not only have we been thinking about her and her needs but we're trying to think of all the people who have need of our services.”

The council was criticised by the High Court judge who heard the case in December for not giving “due regard” to the impact the change would have on disabled people.

But His Honour Judge Milwyn Jarman QC did not find fault in other aspects of the council's performance, such as its consultation with disabled groups.

Tonight the cabinet agreed to conduct a fresh equalities impact assesment of the plan - this time with a more careful eye on the law.