Thursday 3rd of August 2006 – More on Latchkey
I’ve been busy, was painting the ceiling in the living room for most of last night, and shall be doing more tonight. After that I need to find a free weekend to fit the floorboards to the living room floor. The boards were delivered about 4 weeks ago, but I haven’t had time to fit them yet, as all the furniture needs to come out. I think the weekend after this could be the one. This weekend I have my birthday picnic.
I received a lovely handmade birthday card from you, and another one from you grandma and uncle. Handmade cards are much lovelier than the ones you can buy and I shall treasure them forever!
On another note, I’ve also been busy making noise about Arndale being shut, and I went to see Ann and Val today, at Arndale, as a reporter called Saxon East – what a surreal name! – got in touch with me (from Wandsworth Borough News). I was talking to them for ages and felt outraged by the time I left there – what a terrible thing to happen! So I sent Saxon yet another email:
Dear Saxon,
As you’re not in the office until Monday, here are some further details regarding this closure:
Ann Commins, who helps run the centre has been asking the council very important questions regarding auditing accounts and funding for the centre for the last couple of years but never got any straight answers. Speak to her and you’ll be as puzzled as she is regarding the treatment Arndale community project has been given.
Not only are the children going to lose their after school/holiday care, the pensioners who use the facilities at the project will do so too. Why is it that the pensioners, and working (quite a few single) mothers losing this very valued resource?
Ann Commins has a lot to say, and a lot of very interesting questions. She has a wealth of information that I strongly urge you to look at. It’s a tale of auditing accounts, special treatment to some centres but not others. And worse of all, Ann and her colleagues will lose out on holiday pay, as well as some of their wages and get a meagre redundancy pay despite having worked there for over 2 decades. The centre has been running for 26 years!!!!!
She is very willing to talk and they will be at the Arndale project next week (they will be there on Monday afternoon) for the next week to clear the place up – and they are not getting paid either! Basically, they have been forced to close the centre because the council was unwilling to help fund them, but the story gets more complicated due to the fact that the council funds other projects with more than just the rent, and other projects have been getting away without having audited accounts for years, but not Arndale, and it would appear that audited accounts cost a lot more to have – which contributed to increasing the center’s debt.
If you wish to speak to her, and I sincerely hope you do – I was absolutely fuming with the way they were treated by the time herself and Val explained what’s been going on to me, then call the centre: 0208 8702300 and ask to speak to Ann or Val. They are both wonderful, caring women and deserve to say their side of the story to the whole borough.
The address is: Hilden House, Frogmore, SW18 1HJ
yours sincerely
I also got a totally vague reply from Edward Lister, confirming how iffy this whole thing is:
Dear Ms Golubov
Thank you for your email and I can understand your concerns. I am afraid this matter is extremely complicated.
We are looking into the situation and will write to you further on this matter in a few days.Yours sincerely
Councillor Edward Lister
Leader of the Council