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We want action not apologist
12/ 6/2008
The remarkable thing about Eric Neal’s letter (Star letters, June 5) is that instead of fighting for the needs of Aldershot, he spends his time and energy looking for reasons to justify not doing so.
Eric, you are supposed to be Aldershot’s representative in Winchester, not Winchester’s apologist in Aldershot. If Aldershot’s representative will not stand up for the town, no wonder we’ve lost Chrismas Lodge, and nearly lost The Westy too!
Labour’s Mike Roberts (Star letters, June 5) asserts that Lib Dems have no policy regarding Chrismas Lodge apart from being against closure and against selling the land for development. Well we’re not going to apologise for opposing either of these moves.
Chrismas Lodge should never have closed. It should have been refurbished and brought up to modern standards.
Alternatively, the site could have been converted to Extra Care housing, where vulnerable elderly residents could have lived in their own homes, knowing that care was available on site 24 hours a day.
With the elderly population rising fast, Hampshire should be expanding its care homes, not closing them.
Yet Chrismas Lodge is one of seven care homes closed by the Conservatives so far.
They should hang their heads in shame that they can find £40m to refurbish their Winchester ivory tower, yet they can’t find much smaller sums to give our care homes the new lease of life they so clearly need.
No one would disagree that offices must be properly maintained, but if it’s housing for vulnerable people versus comfort in the Tory Council’s offices, I know which should come first!
But Eric Neal’s letter really does take the biscuit!
Eric, for someone in your position it’s really time you learnt the difference between “care” homes and “nursing” homes!
Several times you have implied that Ticehurst Nursing Home is a replacement for Chrismas Lodge. But you need to be careful with your claims.
The NHS ploughed tens of millions into new nursing homes, including Ticehurst.
They did this to help provide places for people stuck in hospital “bed blocking” after finishing medical treatment.
There’s no way the NHS can spend their money on “care” homes, so they might want their cash back!
Also, building new “nursing” homes should not be used as an excuse to close “care” homes, but that’s what’s now happening, and, Eric, you are supporting it!
Finally, what a coincidence! Both Tories and Labour attacking me in the same week on the same issue. Just a coincidence, of course. I’d better not suggest it could be a coordinated attack, because that might be an Aldershot urban myth!
Still, it’s encouraging to see both other parties worried now that the Lib Dems are back on the scene in Aldershot following Paul Bowers’ historic win in Heron Wood on May 1!
Adrian Collett, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Hampshire County Council
Eric, you are supposed to be Aldershot’s representative in Winchester, not Winchester’s apologist in Aldershot. If Aldershot’s representative will not stand up for the town, no wonder we’ve lost Chrismas Lodge, and nearly lost The Westy too!
Labour’s Mike Roberts (Star letters, June 5) asserts that Lib Dems have no policy regarding Chrismas Lodge apart from being against closure and against selling the land for development. Well we’re not going to apologise for opposing either of these moves.
Chrismas Lodge should never have closed. It should have been refurbished and brought up to modern standards.
Alternatively, the site could have been converted to Extra Care housing, where vulnerable elderly residents could have lived in their own homes, knowing that care was available on site 24 hours a day.
With the elderly population rising fast, Hampshire should be expanding its care homes, not closing them.
Yet Chrismas Lodge is one of seven care homes closed by the Conservatives so far.
They should hang their heads in shame that they can find £40m to refurbish their Winchester ivory tower, yet they can’t find much smaller sums to give our care homes the new lease of life they so clearly need.
No one would disagree that offices must be properly maintained, but if it’s housing for vulnerable people versus comfort in the Tory Council’s offices, I know which should come first!
But Eric Neal’s letter really does take the biscuit!
Eric, for someone in your position it’s really time you learnt the difference between “care” homes and “nursing” homes!
Several times you have implied that Ticehurst Nursing Home is a replacement for Chrismas Lodge. But you need to be careful with your claims.
The NHS ploughed tens of millions into new nursing homes, including Ticehurst.
They did this to help provide places for people stuck in hospital “bed blocking” after finishing medical treatment.
There’s no way the NHS can spend their money on “care” homes, so they might want their cash back!
Also, building new “nursing” homes should not be used as an excuse to close “care” homes, but that’s what’s now happening, and, Eric, you are supporting it!
Finally, what a coincidence! Both Tories and Labour attacking me in the same week on the same issue. Just a coincidence, of course. I’d better not suggest it could be a coordinated attack, because that might be an Aldershot urban myth!
Still, it’s encouraging to see both other parties worried now that the Lib Dems are back on the scene in Aldershot following Paul Bowers’ historic win in Heron Wood on May 1!
Adrian Collett, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Hampshire County Council
Adrian Collett’s letter in the Star (12th June) clearly indicates I upset him, so much so he through his dolly out of his pram. All I had said in a previous letter to the press:- Adrian, you must stop beleaving in ‘urban myths’ and do some homework; this land was never donated by the Chrismas family to Aldershot as you stated in a recent newspaper article.
Hampshire County Council acquired the site from Aldershot Borough Council in 1974, which in turn purchased the site from Dorland Properties Limited in 1957.
In his rant against me he raised a number of matters that need clarification.
Ashburton Court in Winchester is a huge sixties build office complex well past it sale by date, frankly it had got to the point where this crumbling building was costing a fortune to maintain. The new complex being build will dramatically reduce running costs and with its open plan offices, more staff can be relocated there which than allows their empty officers in Winchester to be sold.
To quote your exact words Adrian ‘they can find £40 million to refurbish their Winchester Ivory Tower yet cannot find smaller sums to give our care homes a new lease of life’ Adrian do your homework the forty million only exists when the rebuild, office and land sales are complete
The County is giving a new lease of life to its Care and Nursing homes; Ticehurst nursing home in Heronwood Aldershot is an example. It has been expanded and upgraded to accommodate nearly seventy residents. The cost over 4 million and that is where the residents and staff from Xmas lodge were relocated; the sale of the lodge will help in this process.
For 3 years now in Winchester I have watched the Lib/dems led by Adrian Collett with amazement they oppose every cost cutting exercise by the Conservative administration and I am talking millions.
They seemed to be living in some strange time warp harking back to the good old days before 1997. Than a coalition of Lib/Dems and Labour ran Hampshire County Council they spent nearly all the reserves and returned Council tax increases way above the rate off inflation. In the end they even contemplated selling off all the Counties Care and Nursing homes to balance the books.
What a contrast to today, the lowest County Council tax rise in the South East, a top performing Council in the delivery of its services. Next year we Conservatives are aiming for an even lower Council Tax increase because we know many people are struggling to pay their bills.
By the way Adrian the Westy is still there and HCC have spent some £70,000 in the last 12 months on improving it.
Please do not lecture me; start living in the real world money does not grow on trees.
Cllr Eric Neal HCC Aldershot East
20/08/2008 at 00:35