SIR,

I would like to draw the attention of the people of Monmouth to the loss of available and affordable accommodation for our local older residents i.e. your parents and grand parents and maybe even yourselves in later life.

This accommodation is the responsibility of your local county council to provide for the elderly and others. My concerns are where are our elderly residents going to be housed, because it won't be in Monmouth, the almhouses behind the library that were the responsibility of the Haberdashers have been handed over to the Bristol charity, I believe because of bad management.

Although given to the people of Monmouthshire as affordable accommodation for our elderly residents, 'the homes' were removed and replaced by new modern homes of high standard. Unfortunately the weekly rent charges have risen from £ 90 per week to £145 per week. Consequently very few if any of the original residents can afford to move back.

The increase was agreed and accepted by the housing and benefits office. The 12 houses built on the site will net around two and half to three million pounds, before deduction of course, but I would have thought the rent could have been lower.

I am also very worried about Trevor Bowen Court development. Although the development will again be modern and of a high standard the original number of homes at Trevor Bowen was 57 whilst the new development will only have 32, a loss of another 25 houses for our elderly residents and the rent charges as yet I have no idea of.

Where is this loss of accommodation going to end? There are no plans by the MCC to replace them. Where are you going to visit your parents in the future, or where are you going to be dumped?

R W Bradley

(Monmouth)