TWO Rivers tenants in Bream have been told they could pay up to £208 a year if they decide to keep their emergency alarm pull-cords in their homes.

The decision to remove the cords in homes in Ryelands Road comes in light of Gloucestershire County Council withdrawing its subsidy. Two Rivers are now asking its tenants what they would like to do in future and have said that they could keep the service – but tenants would have to pay for it.

Susan Pillinger, of Bream, says the decision to remove the cords would be "disastrous" as most of the tenants who live in the affected area are elderly.

She said: "There are a lot of older residents who live near me and there will be at least 20 homes affected by this change if it happens. Unlike most of the residents, I would be able to afford to keep the cords in my home, however most would have to have them removed.

"The cords are very valuable in the sense they can save lives and it provides peace of mind in the event of an emergency. Most of the residents live alone and one woman, who lives opposite, has called it several times as she collapses frequently."

The cords, which are present in every room of the homes, are linked directly to a central call centre where appropriate action will be taken.

The county council has said from October 2014 they will no longer provide money for this service and if tenants currently get help towards the cost of the service they will have to pay for it themselves.

At present the cost to run the service is £2.74 per week, per property. If tenants choose to keep the pull cords this is likely to increase to between £3 and £4 per week from October.

Two Rivers says: "The service is currently provided as one of the conditions in your tenancy agreement and everyone has to pay the weekly charge, whether or not they want it or use it.

"Housing benefit will not cover the cost of the alarm service for any eligible tenants which means we cannot simply include it as part of the rent."

Two Rivers has suggested three options they would like all tenants who get the current service to consider. These are: continue providing an alarm service for all tenants as part of the tenancy agreement, remove the alarms and let individuals choose if/when they want an alarm, who provides it and what type of service they receive, or remove the alarms and replace with a proactive housing management service for all tenants as part of the tenancy agreement.

"Pressures on county council funding mean individuals will no longer be automatically entitled to financial help for this service from October," explained Rachel Smith, head of housing.

"We wanted to let our tenants know about this and to make sure they understand the implications. We have therefore delivered information – the majority by hand – to every single resident who is affected, and our neighbourhood assistants are also speaking to tenants personally, to support them as they consider their options.

"The decision on the future of the service will be based on the views and feedback we receive from our residents."

Tenants can send Two Rivers their preferred option by 5pm on Friday April 11.