Gary Fanning
Council leader Jim Logue insisted there has been no withdrawal of funding for a new £3m intermediate care home because of political reasons.
The Labour leader has backed the Wishaw Press’s campaign for a new administration after the election to commit to creating the vital facility for ill patients and their families in Wishaw.
Councillor Logue said:“At no time has the JIB (Joint Integration Board) withdrawn money from this project .
“The JIB are not responsible for properties nor the staff.
“The council are responsible for buildings alongside NHS Lanarkshire.
“The new administration will come back and form a new capital programme for the next three years.
“I have spoken to the chief council officer Janice Hewitt to prepare a report for the merits to reinstate Belhaven into a programme.
“We do need an intermediate services such as Belhaven and there is a role for them.
“As a result of the deaths at Wishaw General because of bed blocking, the consequence of that there is an increase in fatalities and that is a startling observation and we need to drill that down and look at the authenticity of this to see whether that is the case or not. Notwithstanding that there needs to be a whole look at care and facilities in North Lanarkshire.
“There is a commitment to a new facility subject to availability and finance and a new administration.
“We recognise that there is a resource gap in Wishaw and we need to look at that.”
Councillor Logue has praised the Wishaw Press’s campaign to bring this to top of the political agenda. He said :“I am delighted by it. The facility is not just for Wishaw.
“Because residents who would go there are not just from Wishaw but across the whole of North Lanarkshire.
“It may be located in Wishaw but that is only for logistical reasons.
“It is a facility for the whole of North Lanarkshire and we need to find out if there is suitable place in Wishaw for it at this moment in time.”
Wishaw councillor Sam Love said:“This is a vital facility for people in Wishaw.
“Even if is it only to give families some respite.”