A VITAL repairs service which helps hundreds of people stay safe in their Huddersfield homes could have its funding cut.
The Anchor Staying Put Kirklees service, which provides handymen for home repairs, faces losing budgets to pay for materials and for grants.
It means they will no longer be able to offer a free service to elderly and disabled people.
Last year, the Slaithwaite-based project carried out more than 3,000 jobs for people in their own homes.
They included fitting handrails to help the elderly get in and out of doors, grab rails in bathrooms for those unsteady on their feet and outdoor key safes for people who receive care in their own homes.
Manager Cheryl Armstrong said: “We save the NHS a huge amount of money by keeping people safe in their own homes, or by allowing them to return home from hospital much sooner.
“But it now looks as though we will be losing our funding from the Government, which means we will not be able to do the work for nothing.
“It will more than likely be cut from April 1 but I would still like to help as many people as possible before the cuts take place.
“At the moment we provide a free Handyperson service for over 60s who receive Council Tax Benefit or Pension Credit.
“We also provide grants to those people for things like gas services, roof repairs, electrical repairs, boiler repairs.
“With the cuts, we are more than likely to have no under £1,000 grants, and Kirklees residents will have to pay for the materials used for the handyperson service.
“I would urge any homeowner in Kirklees to ring us before March 1 if they have any Health and Safety problems with their property and if they are over 60 and on Pension Credit or Council Tax Benefit they will get it for free”.
