‘Leisure Club at Highbury New Park sacrificed for bankers’ children’

Published: 22nd April, 2011
by PETER GRUNER

IN a furious row this week, Islington Council was slammed for providing free school meals for bankers’ children while cutting vital services for the elderly and disabled.

The row follows the likely closure of one of the borough’s oldest disabled and elderly organisations, the Leisure Club at Highbury New Park.

The council has been forced to withdraw up to £10,000 funding for special bus transport, resulting in disabled members being unable to get to  and from the venue.

Lib Dem opposition leader Councillor Terry Stacy accused the ruling Labour council of unfairly targeting the elderly and most vulnerable for cuts. He called on the council to drop its free-school meals-for-all policy, which costs £4million to run. Cllr Stacy said:  “They withdraw funding from a club that provides a lifeline to the elderly and disabled, yet they provide free school meals to bankers’ children. It’s absolutely crazy.”

He added: “Islington tax payers are paying for children whose parents could easily afford lunches and children from outside the borough. They are subsid­ising people from Highgate. The council has got to make savings, but with PlusBus, Sotheby Mews, and many other cuts that have already been made, they are looking at the wrong savings and hitting the wrong people.”

The council argues that since the introduction of free school meals, take up has risen from 60 per cent to 80 per cent. It includes 1,000 more children from the lowest income families who were already entitled, but didn’t take school meals for reasons of stigma, or lack of awareness.

Labour councillor Janet Burgess, executive member for health and adult social care, said that the council so far had been extremely even and fair on where the cuts have to be made. 

“It should be remembered that it is the Lib Dems’ own government who are insisting on cuts in our borough of more than £40million,” she said.

“We are one of the few councils in the country that are still providing for people with moderate needs as well as critical and substantial.

“We are still delivering meals on wheel. This has been cut in many boroughs. We are protecting a lot of services. We contribute to the Freedom Card and the taxi card for the elderly and disabled. We’re not closing any day centres or homes although we are still looking at the possible merger of some luncheon clubs.”

Islington’s Older Person’s Champion Virginia Low said she was very sad that the leisure club faced closure. “We must investigate other ways of funding. I hope that there is a way of keeping this organisation open.”