Kirk Refuses to discuss Leslie House issue with MSP. (by Brian Stormont)

The Church of Scotland has snubbed Scotland's former First Minister Henry McLeish.

With the long running row over Leslie House continuing to bubble, the Glenrothes MSP stepped in with the offer to chair a meeting with relatives and the Kirk.

But the Board of Social responsibility declined Mr McLeish's invitation, saying that they felt that it would not be beneficial to involve outside parties as the attempt to sort out the saga.

Earlier this year, Mr McLeish pledged his support for the Leslie House 21 Group's campaign, and said that he would actively pursue the issue by setting up a meeting to bring the two sides closer together.

However, group leader, Ross Vettraino, revealed: "Officers of the Board of Social responsibility of the Church of Scotland have refused an invitation from Henry McLeish MSP to take part in a partnership meeting with relatives and other representatives of the residents in Leslie House.

Website

"The purpose of the meeting was to try to find a means of securing the physical mental and social well being of the residents. It is not the first time that Officers of the Board have declined to do something constructive about finding a solution to the problem."

The Kirk's Board of Social Responsibility and Fife Council told the Gazette that they had received an invitation last month from the MSP to attend a meeting, but felt that it was not in the best interests of their efforts to resolve the Leslie House situation.

A joint statement said: "A meeting involving the Board of Social responsibility and the Fife Social Work Service and relatives of the residents has now taken place and work on assessing and meeting the needs of the residents is now underway. Given this, it is not felt that it would be helpful to involve parties outside of the process at this point."

Meanwhile, relatives of Leslie House residents have taken their fight into cyberspace. The Leslie House 21 Group has launched its own website. Mr Vettraino has developed the site, which aims to keep all interested parties up to date with the developments in the battle to save Leslie House. Information contained within the site follows the story of the proposed closure from the first announcement in April this year and can be found at http://www.lh21.org.uk