CAMPAIGNERS supporting a community for learning disabled residents have filed an Early Day Motion backing the preservation of its shared living ethos.

Botton village in the North York Moors near Whitby is run by Camphill Village Trust, and has been at the centre of a long-running row between the trust and campaign group Action for Botton over the way the village is run.

Camphill Village Trust (CVT) said it had to start using paid employees to care for residents instead of having volunteers who lived and worked alongside them.

The EDM, which calls for CVT to work with local health and council authorities to retain the co-worker community, has won support from 35 MPs from across all political parties.

Neil Davidson, chairman of Action for Botton, said: “It might seem remarkable to many, that politicians from across the political spectrum support this motion.

“What is truly remarkable however is that for 60 years Botton has quietly practised the Camphill community way of life - the very sort of shared life care that has now been established as being cheaper but also safer than other systems.”

The trust and campaigners for the village have been working towards a mutually beneficial agreement through a legal mediation process which is hoped to be completed by January.

The key part of the progress being made is the exploration of the Shared Lives Plus model as a way to retain shared living within Botton, taking advice from a specialist social care advisor.

A spokesman for CVT said it and the campaigners had a shared desire to build a better and more stable future for the beneficiaries and their communities.