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Selective Quotes

Letter from Morley Observer and Advertiser 13/9/06 Coun Finnegan’s bluster about Morley Leisure Centre will not do, not will his trying to shuffle the blame for his own predicament onto the Labour government. In the Observer article dated August 23, Coun Finnigan said the sports minister had rejected the possibility of refurbishment and said that he was disappointed with this approach. This is startling. I have obtained a copy of the Minister’s letter to councillor Finnegan – It begins by saying: “Refurbishment is not encouraged in PFI projects for the very reason you quoted in your letter” (emphasis added). Did Coun Finnegan give Observer readers the whole story? Of course not – a few selective quotes was all he thought readers deserved. The Minister did not flatly rule out refurbishment, as Finnegan claimed, but only said it wasn’t encouraged. Whether refurbishment is still possible is still a matter for Leeds City Council to assess; but worse, it was in his original letter to the Minister that Coun Finnegan himself appears to have ruled it out. But so animated is he against the government which has given spending approval for a new leisure centre in Morley, he has to resort to plain deception. He should answer the charge, and refrain from further comment until he does. I might add that I have sent a survey on the future of the leisure centre to hundreds of local residents, and have lso met with trade union representatives to discuss the centre’s future. After all, much of the success of the centre depends on its staff. The trade unions, by the way, are forthright in their view that the council is planning to privatise the leisure centres in Leeds. I will send a copy of the Sports Minister’s letter to any reader who requests it. David Langham Campaign Co-ordinator Morley South Labour Party