Misquoted!
I'm writing with regard to the article "Mayor's challenge to pool protesters".
In this article I am quoted to have said: "The council had much more
time to find somewhere - how are we supposed to do the same in just two
weeks?"
I couldn’t have said this. Our campaign does not want to find a place for a school. That is the Mayor's job.
What we say is that if he is unable to find a suitable site maybe we should try to find a suitable Mayor.
We are concerned about the availability of school places in our borough
and have the full support of the "New School Campaign", the parent's
movement that forced the Mayor to recognize the need of a new school in
the first place. During the years they have submitted numerous sites to
the attention of the Council, but have always been overlooked.
Now the games are open again and the Mayor is challenging everybody.
The following is an extract from a letter that the Mayor recently sent to all the councillors:
"…I am asking you and the members of your group to nominate alternative sites for the new school.
The challenge is simple:
1. It must be large enough to build a school on.
2. It should be in a suitable location.
3. The new school must be able to open its doors to pupils in 2006.
4. The deadline for submitting proposals in writing or by email to me is 4 October 2004. "
The first consideration that comes from reading this is that if the
Council took years to come up with this solution (a solution that the
Mayor prefers as it is the "easiest") why has everybody else been given
less than three weeks to come up with a new plan?
It must also be noticed that in his proposed plan the school would be
open in 2009. What is it that makes him so special that any other
proposal should allow the school to open by 2006?
Our campaign is about opposing the planned act of vandalism that the
Council intends to perform with regard to sport and active recreation
in Lewisham. The Ladywell Leisure Centre is an enormously important
provision for Lewisham residents of all age groups. To dismiss it
without a replacement ready means the impoverishment of our community.
The council re-considering the options is the first result of our campaign.
Now we want them to go all the way and actually do the job they are paid for. Taking the “easiest” solution is not good enough.
We have called for a new public meeting to be held at the Ladywell Leisure Centre on Thursday 7th October at 7 pm.
It will be a time for celebration for a battle won and a planning time to win the war.
Max Calò – secretary of the Save Ladywell Pool Campaign
