THE council plans to turn the service which helps elderly and vulnerable Barnsley people remain in their own homes into a trading company so it can sell its services to other areas.
Barnsley's Independent Living at Home Service costs about £2.5m a year to run, and benefits about 7,000 people, 98 per cent of them over 65.
The service is about giving people the help, tools and technology to remain independent, and includes things like extra handles, grab rails and stair lifts, to the technology which allows people to monitor their own blood pressure.
The council hopes that, in preparation for severe budget cuts, it can grow the service beyond Barnsley, charging councils in other areas for the services, to bring money back into Barnsley - estimated at more than £2m.
The council says this will help protect jobs and services in Barnsley.
** The full story is in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated June 27. **
