Last night at Lewisham's Mayor and Cabinet meeting, Councillor Chris Best made it clear that it was up to "the community" to come up with a use and funding for Louise House and, by implication, not the Council nor its councillors. If "the community", by whom she seemed to mean those whom Mayor Steve Bullock later denigrated as those who shout and make a noise about Council conduct, does not do as councillors require of them, then Louise House will be sold on for housing.

It is a great pity that the Mayor and Labour councillors remain so peeved about the listing of Louise House. Their peevishness is to say the least unreasonable and their conduct churlish. There is no reason why they, as the elected representatives of the community, should wash their hands of the development of Louise House into something other than housing. They could, and should given their electoral standing, be taking part in the discovery of alternative uses for this historically significant and hitherto unsung building.

Let us hope they see reason and without being pushed to to do so as has happened in respect of the swimming pools on Dartmouth Road.