Loneliness is one of the biggest issues facing older people in the south west of Sheffield, according to residents who attended a special meeting on Thursday evening.

Support for older people was the topic of debate chosen by locals for the Meet the Cabinet event at the South West Community Assembly meeting in Banner Cross Methodist Church.

During the meeting, local resident Eric Bentley raised concerns that old people are too scared to go out and then get the bus home late in the evening.

He said: “Where I go ballroom dancing, I know a lot of people who have become single after losing their partner and are then too frightened to go out and get the bus at 10pm, so they’re now not going to the dance.”

Council officer Richard Webb highlighted that Sheffield is, in fact, one of the safest cities in the country, but from meetings with local police he discovered that ‘a lot’ of crimes against older people went unreported.

He added: “I think you’re absolutely right about the issue of how people continue to do what they enjoy doing. I know as someone who lives in the community that Sheffield is one of the safest big cities in the country but there are preconceptions that certain parts of the city are unsafe and people can’t go out on the bus.

“I don’t think there’s one magic solution.”

He said it was important for the council to continue supporting lunch clubs and other events which get older people out of their homes and into a social environment.

But Coun Jackie Drayton said it was also important for the community to do their bit to help others as in a time when Sheffield is experiencing massive cuts, everybody needs to pull together and help out.

She said: “There are lots of community organisations and lots of people that look out for other people. We need to do that a bit more and perhaps ask people who aren’t turning up to dances and other social events if they want a lift.”

The debate took place as part of the council’s Cabinet in the Community scheme, which allows locals to communicate directly with cabinet members.

In the south west, the council spends about £9million a year on older people’s services, including 5,000 hours a week of home support. More than a third of residents in the South West are over 50 and it is projected that in the next 15 years, the number of people aged over 65 in Sheffield will increase by 20 per cent.

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