The council said the buildings don’t meet modern standards
06:00, 07 May 2026Updated 06:22, 07 May 2026
Martin Court, Anstey, one of the sites set for closure(Image: Google Streetview)
Several blocks of council accommodation for elderly residents are set to be sold off across the county – but residents say the move is breaking up their community.
Charnwood Borough Council is considering disposing of five properties under the Sheltered Accommodation Scheme, which provides rooms for elderly residents who require support.
Officers say the spaces don’t meet modern standards, with many too small for a standard cooker, relying on shared bathrooms or having access issues. More than half the rooms were empty as of 2025.
The council is expected to save nearly £360,000 annually by closing the sites, which will be sold to the highest bidder on the open market.
As a result, the 45 affected residents will have to vacate the premises and submit a new housing application.
Meeting documents say there are more than 700 alternative beds providing this type of accommodation in the borough.
The council’s scrutiny commission met on Tuesday, May 5, to discuss the proposals before they are finalised higher up.
Members raised concerns that the other housing available to current residents won’t offer the same community feel.
Councillor Shona Rattray (Conservative) said: “Those properties are not sheltered accommodation or properties for the elderly.
“If we are just buying individual properties across Charnwood, we are not giving them the opportunity to live in a community for like-minded people. That’s the biggest thing that concerns me.”
Tenants echoed Cllr Rattray’s fears during the consultation.
One resident told officers: “The whole idea of sheltered housing was to bring vulnerable people together from the local community to live together, supported, preventing loneliness and isolation.
“So will you guarantee my well-being and safety when you move me out of my community and the home I love?”
Another resident added: “We are a family and you are going to break us up. Please change your mind and let us stay.”
The council plans to hire a dedicated support officer to help tenants move, although the post is not yet advertised.
Members also raised concerns about the future of the sites once they are sold.
They discussed the possibility of imposing restrictions on what developers could turn the buildings into, but officers said this could affect the land’s potential market value.
The news comes as a government-mandated shake-up of local councils looms.
Chair of the scrutiny commission, Councillor Mark Charles (Conservative) raised concerns this timing could also impact the receipt the council can expect from the sale of the properties, and questioned if a minimum price could be set.
He said: “With Local Government Reorganisation coming along, many other councils in our position are doing exactly the same thing.
“I have got this feeling there’s going to be a glut of council properties going on the market. We don’t want to give these assets away.”
The commission resolved to note the report, meaning the final decision on the future of the properties lies with the cabinet on Thursday, May 7.
Councillor Leigh Harper-Davies (Conservative), who commented that the council was “in between a rock and a hard place” in making the decision, said she did so “very sadly”.
The five red-rated properties are:
- Block A Fielding Court, Loughborough
- Babington Court, Rothley
- Martin Court, Anstey
- Sorrell Court, Mountsorrel
- St Peter’s Court, Syston
