Argy bargy does no one any good

The county’s population of over- 65s will increase by 55 per cent in the next 13 years. Dementia cases are forecast to soar by 59 per cent.

The Old Manor Hospital site would be a perfect location for what’s known as ‘extra care’ housing, alongside the medical centre currently under construction.

Available for sale or rental, this type of development enables people to live out their days, accessing increasing levels of help without having to move into care homes.

Wiltshire Council wants to see the site used in this way. So, ideally, does the landowner, the soon-to-be-abolished primary care trust, NHS Wiltshire.

You’d think it would be pretty easy to arrange, then.

You’d be wrong.

The problem is that the council can’t afford the land.

It wanted the Government to make the NHS hand it over free of charge, with cash to fund the project. The government said no.

The NHS has a public duty to get the best price possible for its assets. It delayed selling the site while everyone racked their brains for a solution, but it can wait no longer.

The best hope is that a private buyer will develop the land for old people’s housing, but there are no guarantees.

Councillors are hopping mad. But they have no right to expect something for nothing.

All this argy-bargy has wasted years.

When it boils down to it, both these bodies exist (though not for much longer in one case) on taxpayers’ hard-earned cash.

Yours and mine.

To be honest, I couldn’t care less which alleged public service has the loot stashed in its bank account at the moment. It’s all OUR money.

If those who are supposed to be our leaders can’t work together to make the best use of it, what hope is there?

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