Homelessness Centre: Liberal Democrat Comment

3.53.32pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 20th Oct 2009

Commenting on the debate over the proposed homelessness centre near Kingsmead Square, Cllr Will Sandry (Lib Dem shadow Cabinet member for healthier communities and older people and Councillor for Oldfield) said:

"Cllr Pritchard, through indifference and inaction, has lost £2.5M of central government funding for this project and now he is stuck with the James Street West site as it has become the only affordable site.

"The shameful thing about this project is that it is still not clearly defined what will be at the site, but it is accepted that the site is too small to provide the right facilities for the complex needs of homeless people in Bath.

"Cllr Pritchard knows that all he needs to do is pick up the phone to the Homes and Communities Agency to re-establish dialogue. But for some reason he is unwilling to do this.

"The one thing I agree with Cllr Pritchard about is that the facilities at the current Julian House desperately need to be upgraded.

"Unless he sorts this mess out soon, we will be left spending millions on a second rate facility."