Health centre explanation needed
There has been a bizarre twist regarding use of the �350,000 NHS Islington will receive from the sale of the building it owns adjacent to Finsbury Health Centre (FHC) in Pine Street Finsbury (“Put cash back in to health centre”, January 12).
At its board meeting last week, chairwoman Paula Kahn announced that all the money will indeed be spent on FHC – but she didn’t once mention refurbishment. After the �30,000 for emergency repairs required by English Heritage for the Grade I-listed building, the balance (�320,000) is instead to be spent hastily on what English Heritage called “painting and tiling” and the PCT vaguely called “infection control” and “DDA” without specification.
The PCT also appear to have set themselves an arbitrary March 31 deadline.
Why spend �350,000 of public money on internal changes to a building which needs total refurbishment?
NHS Islington has some explaining to do. Wasting public money isn’t a good idea at the best of times. In the present financial climate, it could be said to border on irresponsible.
You may also want to watch:
– Meg Howarth and Barb Jacobson, Campaign to Save Finsbury Health Centre, Charles Rowan House, Margery Street, WC1.
Most Read
- 1 Man dies after collapsing in Islington
- 2 Thames Water faces councillors’ anger over billing changes for tenants
- 3 Teaching mentor comes 'full circle' working at Islington school
- 4 Arsenal column: Granit Xhaka the stand out performer since Boxing Day but some of his senior professionals continue to disappoint
- 5 Islington writers among the winners of 2021 awards
- 6 Police search for suspects after teen stabbed in the face in the Cally
- 7 Author inspired by Highbury for debut sci-fi novel about aliens
- 8 Spot tiny art 'gems' along The Parkland Walk
- 9 Jeremy Corbyn launches Peace and Justice Project with calls to action
- 10 Council tax set to rise amid 'hand-to-mouth' Covid-19 government funding