Council doesn't have any record of consultation on Ladywell
...It may be the case that your specific information does not exist.
With this sentence the Freedom of Information office of Lewisham Council is admitting defeat in the incredible case of the lost consultation.
When last year we asked Lewisham Council what consultation had been done with regard to sport facilities to justify the closure of the Ladywell Leisure Centre this was what we were told (in writing):
"The decision to relocate Ladywell Leisure Centre to the Sundermead estate was taken following a public consultation in late 1999. The consultation meeting was well attended, with strong support for relocation and modernisation of the facilities..."
With such detailed description, it is with dismay that we have now to register that the Council doesn't have any paper about this consultation meeting.
Among the paper that we received there is a report of a consultation dated 28th Aprit 2000.
This consultation was carried between February and April 2000.
People were asked to fill in a questionnaire.
The questionnaire mentions that "we will inform you of the results of this consultation exercise at a Public meeting to be held the Conference Suite, Lewisham Hospital on Monday 13th March, 7:00pm at 9:00pm"
That's what the questionnaire says of that consultation:
The following questionnaire asks you what you wish to see in the new Centre. Please take the time to fill in the questionnaire so that the Council can incorporate as many facilities that you feel are needed to provide a quality leisure facility to the people of Lewisham.
None of the questions asks opinions about the relocation, the fact that there will be a new leisure centre is given for granted.
So, if the questionnaire doesn't mention the "strong support for relocation and modernisation", maybe that happened at the meeting held on 13th March 2000 mentioned there and the 1999 date written on the answer given at Council was just a slip of the pen.
So, we asked once again to be given access to any document regarding that meeting as in these papers there was no reference of it or at least indication of the "strong support for relocation and modernisation".This time we were emailed the following (quotes already included in the emailed information):
"the public meeting was held in the Conference Room at Lewisham Hospital and was attended by approx. 40-50 people - at the meeting the main discussion was about replacing Ladywell with a leisure centre in 'Central Lewisham' and confirmed the preferred options in terms of facilities to be accommodated in this building. "
We therefore asked to know where was this quote coming from but didn't get anything at all about that.
All we managed to get is this memory from an officer that was present at the meeting held on 13th March 2000:
"My recollection of the process is that we were asked to consult on the options for a new leisure centre in the centre of Lewisham - this consultation was carried out in the early part of 2000, and that the meeting on the 13th of March was held as part of that process; [to brief the public on the result of the paper consultation exercise and to see if other thoughts or views would arise form this public forum] - the results of the views from both elements of the process were then drawn up in the 28th April report
I can not remember who took notes of this meeting, and I have not kept my diary from that year"
But looking at the report on the consultation dated 28th April 2000 one cannot find any mention of any "strong support for relocation and modernisation" we were told about.
With sadness we have to register that the Council decided not to consult residents and users about its plans to relocate (close) the Ladywell leisure Centre.
How did it happen that we were then told that we had been asked?
This is an extremely serious matter, and further investigation must be conducted.>
