The spectre of having to sell off sheltered housing in Kingston to make cut-backs will revisit the council.

The warning came from housing committe chairman Councillor Paul Johnston at last week's meeting of the full council, after a proposal to sell four sheltered housing schemes was blocked by opposition councillors last month.

Since then the council has been fined £1,800 a week by the government for under-use of its sheltered housing stock and Coun Johnston said with the level of demand for bed-sit type accommodation falling the situation where the council may have to sell still remains.

And he said, despite "untruthful" and "scare mongering" reports in the local press on the issue, there was no truth that the proposal to sell the housing would mean the "sudden and brutal eviction" of the pensioners who were kept informed throughout.

"I hope we can resolve the problem without having to de-shelter," he said. "But developments since that meeting have not looked promising so I a feel that we are going to have to revisit that issue."

But Liberal Democrat councillors accused the administration of wanting to sell the housing without offering the residents any real alternative and then refusing to have the confidence of their convictions at the meeting and abstaining from voting for it.

Councillor Julie Haines said selling the housing was one of an number of options and she said her colleague Councillor Brian Bennett suggested other options for the use of the 54 vacant units.

"I sincerely hope that we can do what Coun Bennett suggested," said Coun Johnston, "But the truth is that we may find ourselves in that position again, I hope we do not but a fear that we may."

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