Hammersmith and Fulham Council finally got its way this week and cleared the voluntary organisations, half of whom were working with refugees, out of Palingswick House so the property could be handed over to the West London Free School. The expression ‘handed over’ is used advisedly as the funding to buy the land and convert the building for the Free School’s use will be coming from the Department of Education i.e. taxpayers’money. Given that the Council said it was selling Palingswick in order to reduce public sector debt, this financial merry-go-round is bizarre.

In the meantime just half of the voluntary groups in Palingswick House have been found accommodation in the new ‘hub’ – the basement of Norland House, a multi-storey block of flats on the Edward Woods Estate at Shepherd’s Bush. A couple have a dedicated office space but many have been reduced to merely a desk and a chair in an open office illustrating just how little the council knows (or cares!) about the work they do for their clients, many of whom come to the organisations with confidential matters to discuss.

It is worth noting here that a number of the former Palingswick House voluntary groups have been forced to close down as a result of this upheaval. Others will be offering reduced services in an out-of-the-way location where for the first few weeks they will not even have telephone or mail services.

But these are resilient, determined people, who will survive this setback and bounce back as they have survived all the other problems that caused them to seek sanctuary in Britain in the first instance.

Phil Cooper

26/1/12