At Full Council on 11 November, Cllr Lorraine Dean, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, set out why Labour's £11.7 million spend on six community hubs duplicated services Westminster already had, and where the money should go instead.
Services already in place
Westminster already had three family hubs, at Bessborough, Church Street and Queen's Park, providing everything from health visiting and midwifery support to adult learning and domestic abuse support, as well as 10 libraries, nine leisure centres, five youth clubs and two short break centres for families with children with SEND.
"So why, with all this provision, would you waste £11.7 million when it could have been better spent supporting our most vulnerable and disadvantaged residents?"
What was dropped
Lorraine highlighted a planned day centre for adults with learning disabilities at Lilestone Street that Labour abandoned, and the hydrotherapy pool at Westbourne Park Day Centre, kept closed throughout Labour's four years in power. "It was closed for COVID, but could have been opened again in mid-2022, but they were too busy opening community hubs." There is now no working hydrotherapy pool in Westminster or RBKC that physiotherapy teams can use; the nearest is in Wimbledon.
"Politics is about making wise choices to provide the best services with limited funds. We should be using all our energies and money on services that residents really need."
Tell us what matters to you: westm.news/listening
