Town’s ‘handy person’ service scrapped after 30 years

A ‘HANDY person’ service to help the vulnerable stay in their own homes in Barnsley is being scrapped from the end of October after a 30-year lifespan because the council say they have “identified some duplication of activities” which means there are unnecessary costs.

But Yorkshire Housing, which has operated the service on behalf of the council, insists the decision “will be a blow to the people who use it” and described the development as “disappointing”.

The handy person service has operated by providing quick and easily accessed help for those who need small modifications – such as hand rails and grab handles – installing to allow them to continue living safely in their own home.

It is provided by Yorkshire Housing, through its Home Improvement Agency, and has had support from Barnsley Council until now, with the loss of the contract meaning at least one redundancy among its staff.

Layla Gorman, manager of the South Home Improvement Agency team, said: “This is so disappointing for us and our staff as we’ve had this contract for such a long time and we feel that this service is of vital importance to the local area.”

Coun Jenny Platts, spokesperson for Communities, at Barnsley Council, said there had been a review of the service and they had identified some duplication of activities which created unnecessary costs to the public purse.