West End Extra - Letters

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 5 October 2007

Still waiting for answers at Macintosh House

• I HAVE written to Councillor Angela Harvey three times since June 25 and am yet to get a response – so I am resorting to writing to her through your newspaper.
How do you explain your statement in West End Extra (September 7) that “we are in regular contact with Mr Zanello... and a letter will be responding to him soon”?
It seems to me that you are deceiving the readers with the intention of showing yourself in a good light.
I would like to use this opportunity to take up with you the misleading statements in your housing update last Wednesday.
Firstly, when briefing the committee you state Macintosh House has been getting some “inaccurate reporting in the press”. In fact, the press has been extremely fair in publishing your letters and giving you the opportunity to counter any inaccuracies in its reporting. If there are inaccuracies, it is surely on your part, the above being a good example.
It is only through the press that I have been able to bring to the public’s attention the plight of elderly residents who wanted to stay put, and the factual errors in council reports which have been used to bolster the council’s case for closure.
Secondly, There are significant discrepancies in both the architect’s and CityWest Homes’ reports into the Macintosh House, as you well know. These reports were used for its closure. There is nothing in the reports about the advantageous facilities which Macintosh offers to elderly residents.
Thirdly, you state that “it is almost two years since I paid my first visit to Macintosh House to listen to residents”. In fact, as you well know, you visited Macintosh House on 22 January, only eight months ago and promised to look at designs, but did you? You did not really listen to us.
Fourthly, I would like to take issue with your statement that “for some time we had found it difficult to let accommodation in Macintosh as the outdated living arrangements”.
What Macintosh offered was a happy and supportive mix of people until the council intervened with its decommissioning proposal.
I look forward to your comments and a reply to my letters.
SANTE ZANELLO
Macintosh House, W1

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld. Please include a full name, postal address and telephone number.
Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment:

Your comments: