Residents of a sheltered housing complex in Falmouth have voiced concerns over the withdrawal of independent living support officers who had provided a link to the outside world.

The officers’ role is currently under review by Cornwall Housing, which runs Chynampara, after becoming one of the victims in Cornwall Council’s latest round of budget cuts.

One resident of the 34 apartment complex in Trevethan Road, who didn’t want to be named, said: “Some of the elderly people here would get a call in the morning to make sure they were all right, but now if they want a call it’s going to cost them £3.80 a week.

“If someone did not answer the call, then the independent living advisors would know there was something wrong and could raise the alarm. They would also make sure everything was clean and tidy and for some residents it was the only contact they had with someone all day.”

A spokesman for Cornwall Council said: “The contract with Cornwall Housing to deliver preventative services that provide support to older and vulnerable people to help them remain independent at home, was one of a number of contracts terminated by the council earlier this year.

“The council recognises that the decision to terminate these contracts has caused concern to those who currently benefit from these services.

“The council did not have any concerns about the quality of the service which was being delivered, however it felt that the contracts had not delivered the outcomes which they had anticipated.”

Jane Barlow, managing director of Cornwall Housing, added: “There have not been resident wardens at our sheltered housing schemes for several years as our contract with the council did not provide for this approach.

“What we did have were independent living support officers, available for a few hours a week during regular office hours, who supported some residents and people with support needs in the wider community.

“As a result of this funding cut, we are currently undertaking a fundamental review of our sheltered housing complexes and their communal facilities, which are impacted by the termination of the contract.

“The review has started and will be ongoing over the next few months. We hope that some staff presence will be maintained at our sheltered housing schemes at least until the end of the review, but this will be severely reduced compared to the current arrangements.”

It has been stressed that the cuts will not affect Lifeline customers who currently pay for their service.