Day centre saved, but...

Published: 18 February, 2011

• THANK you for the front-page article last week about Sotheby Mews Day Centre winning its battle to stay open. It is great news for the users and those of us who have been fighting to keep it open (Day centre wins battle to stay open, February 11).

Nearly 1,000 signatures have been collected by supporters of the centre, and it is extremely disappointing that users had to do this before Labour councillors realised what an unfair and callous decision this cut would have been. Labour was totally silent on the issue until the campaign kicked in and they got cold feet about cutting it. 

While your article brings some relief to campaigners concerned about the future of the centre it raises a lot of unanswered questions. You state that an “unnamed voluntary group” will take over the day centre.

Since your article, all my requests for more information, made as the local councillor for Sotheby Mews, have drawn a blank. Why the mystery? 

Questions about how the centre will continue to function without any funds, new building managers or not, are still very unclear. The centre got £166,000 a year to cover its running costs and pay for transport. 

My calls to cut the council’s communi­cations budget to fund this seem to have fallen on deaf ears.  

It is still unclear how the new building managers will fit in with exciting community centre provision locally, such as Elizabeth House. 

The present Sotheby Mews Centre provides special elderly provision. Are we talking about the same provision or something else? Will they be in competition? It all seems so rushed and is being done behind closed doors. 

CLLR TERRY STACY 
Lib Dem, Highbury East