Colchester Council has, during the past year or so, taken unpopular decisions on Abbots Activity Centre and sheltered housing.

The strength of feeling in the town (and far beyond) has been shown by many thousands of people signing petitions voicing their disapproval.

In this context, my disagreement with the decisions, as stated by councillor Tina Dopson (Letters May 24), is shared by many people. Although I accept Abbots was privatised and not sold, I understand the future for this centre is far from certain.

On the plus side, Mrs Dopson has taken over the portfolio for housing and her brief will include sheltered housing.

Given her reported statement that she is passionate about services for older people and she thinks the way older people are treated is disgusting, I am hopeful the disgraceful actions over the past months regarding Joyce Brooks House will be reviewed and the residents will be allowed to remain in the home they love.

I am sure the new portfolio holder will agree sheltered housing is an important link in the borough’s social housing structure.

People who, for whatever reason, wish to trade down to something smaller need to be offered a good quality alternative, and Joyce Brooks House easily meets the criteria.

Freeing up social housing in this way makes accommodation for younger families more readily available. We are all living longer and it is essential the borough plans for the future in a positive manner.

Having said that, I wish Mrs Dopson well in her new post. There are obviously many difficulties to overcome, but please make reassuring the residents of Joyce Brooks House they may stay in their home an absolute priority.

Norman Bailey
Cambridge Road
Colchester

...So, when is a privatisation of an activity centre, not a sell-off? And when is the reduction of publicly owned sheltered housing, not a cut?

The answer is you will find these examples of Orwellian double think here in Colchester – two plus two really does equal five in our Lib/Lab town hall.

By splitting hairs and using the most crude deployment of logic, Tina Dopson, in her response to Norman Bailey, is right in saying the Abbots Activity Centre building has not been sold off.

But its staff and users have been sold down the river, and without them fighting Mrs Dopson all the way, she would have sold the building off and closed the centre down anyway!

In keeping with Orwell’s double think, such crude deployment of logic must stand alongside statements that have no basis in reality whatsoever.

As the good people at Colne Housing have said (our argument is with the council, not them, and we wish Colne Housing well), with the loss of council funding, they have a real fight on their hands to keep Abbots Activity Centre going. Just as with the cuts to sheltered housing, it is total nonsense to describe this measure as an improvement.

Incredibly, councillor Julie Young has claimed the local Labour Party will be fighting cuts, while accusing others of memory loss regarding events several years ago.

Poor Julie seems to have a problem even with short term memory, as local Labour has been as enthusiastic to cut and privatise, as its Lib Dem partners.

The recent negotiations to form a new town hall administration could have seen Labour show some principle, by refusing to join the Lib Dems in selling off the family silver.

But, instead, like the Lib- Dems joining the Tories nationally, the 30 pieces of silver that come with being the subservient prop in the administration were far more important than the lives of people being destroyed by cuts.

It will be Colchester Against the Cuts leading the fight against austerity dogma in this town, not the Lib Dems’ very junior partners in crime.

We will be back in Long Wyre Street this Saturday, from midday to 2pm, with our petition opposing cuts to sheltered housing – cuts Mrs Dopson is now responsible for.

Andy Abbott
Colchester Against the Cuts
Maidenburgh Street
Colchester