Moral dilemma: How To Sack Old Retainer

I like the ‘old retainer’ bit ?it conjures up the image of a doddery old butler staggering in with the port on a tray.

I would do as another poster suggests, draw up a list of jobs that you want to be done, and show it to him, if he objects to doing the work, say that sadly you will have to let him go.
If he says he will do it....give him the opportunity.

Have you managed him properly. Have you devised a list of jobs as suggested above. Have you given him feedback on his performance and what your expectations are, if you as a committee havent done this I am afraid you havent really been doing your job properly either.

Oh I feel so bad for him

As a child we had an aged cleaner. She really wasn't up to the job at all. Bad eyesight, bad back, bad knees. So many things just weren't done.

My mother couldn't get rid of her though. Mum ended up doing most of the cleaning herself as she couldn't cope with upsetting her.

Which of course is quite ridiculous and I agree with the other posters

Big thank you, nice gift and a couple of months notice.

Two months notice and a nice gift in recognition of his 20 years service might soften the blow. He may well be realizing deep down that he is no longer really up to the job but everybody likes to be appreciated and an appropriate gift might make him see that he has been appreciated over the years he was up to the job.

I agree annep1 honesty is the best policy in this case . Two months notice sounds fair.

I think it's better not to lie as he could find out.
Better to just be honest and say you need someone who can do....and name the things he can't do. I would perhaps give him two months notice so that he can adjust to the lower income. There's no easy way really, unfortunately.

Wouldn’t it be fairer for the committee to put together a list of the tasks they expect to be completed in four hours a week? And to say that they will monitor how things go for the next couple of months? Then, if it is obvious that your gardener can’t cope, you can reasonably suggest parting company with a small payoff to recognise long service. That way your gardener is not just dumped and the committee has a job specification for the next person.

He would possibly be delighted to relinquish the role.
I think an honest chat and a big thank you may just do the trick.

Perhaps say that a couple of residents who are keen gardeners and miss their gardens have offered to take over. Totally untrue but at least it is an easy let out for you.